Destiny
by NakanoHana
Summary: Based on Anastasia. Roxas wants a family. Axel wants a million bucks. Roxas had a family once, but he can't remember who they are. Axel's always been dirt poor. And Demyx and Zexion just want off this crazy ride. Akuroku, Zemyx, and possibly others.
1. Prologue part 1

This story is a bit of an experiment. It will mirror Anastasia, yes, but I'm already thinking up an epic twist or two that maybe you'll pick up on now, maybe not. But comment and tell me whether or not I should continue this. I'll know if it's worth while continuing, even when I have stuff I need to update in other areas too ^w^u

Hope you like it. Cute, fluffy...etc...I know at least two people who have or are doing a version of this already. No matter how good your ideas, I'll try not to sound like a copycat. I've wanted to do this one for a while... :)

* * *

_It has only ever snowed once in Twilight Town; I remember that day well from when I was a little girl. It was wonderful then...But now it falls again, and fills me with dread._

_I am sure it is the dawning of a new era for our land; a time of blood and famine. War looms over the horizon, very close now. It was unavoidable, I suppose; the stench is everywhere, no matter where we go, but we who lived in the mansion never thought it could reach us. We never cared to see it, but soon, I fear, it will be at our very gates._

_The people are hungry and violent, begging for bread more every day. My husband does all he can for them, but he cannot give everything. I fear the vizier may be encouraging them; he is wiser than my husband, and his heart seems easily swayed by darkness. I encourage him to dispose of that man, but he will not do it. Ansem has been with our family many years and my husband claims him to be loyal, but I fear it is not so. No...I know him. I know it is not so. _

_Tonight is the royal ball in honor of Cloud's journey to the Destiny Islands. I would decline attending, if I could, but I must keep face for my beloved husband and our country. I will go and see off my eldest son, but I fear that this tentative, peaceful air will not last long. In truth, I fear for my husband. I fear for the country. But most of all, I fear for the children..._

_Whatever the cost, I must protect them from the truth..._

_~ Queen __Aerith Strife_

_Last recorded journal entry, December the 13th, 1917_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_The mansion was packed with people that night, all of them pouring into the grand ballroom. The mood was gay, the air filled with the sounds of clanking glasses, hearty chuckles, and grand music. Nobles and others of high estate gathered around in circles and chatted frivolously, and those who were not pouring the wine made their way out onto the dance floor, joining the sea of twirling skirts._

_One small group in particular seemed especially light-hearted. King Zack was not seated high on his throne, above the gaiety. He was out among his people, smiling widely as he danced with his daughter, Kairi. She laughed and twirled about in her stunning white ball gown, pausing only to clap when the music ended._

_Right near by them stood the princes Roxas and Sora, the two youngest boys in the family. The royal family was large and had many children, but these two boys were nearest in age, and Prince Roxas was the youngest of all. A boy just shy of eight, he was celebrating his birthday a few days early, in order for Cloud to attend before his big trip._

_The boys were quietly mocking their sister, who for all her wonderful qualities, couldn't dance to save her life. Kairi fumed a deep red at their taunting and stormed over to them, beginning to bicker with Sora. Zack watched his children fondly, chuckling with good humor. He then snuck over to them as well, but more softly, as the next song picked up at full tempo._

_Roxas gasped as his father lifted him into the air, spinning him around in a circle. The little blond giggled and spread his arms freely, flapping them like a bird._

_Cloud, the oldest boy, watched from his seat at the head of the room, beside the queen. A small ghost of a smile was on his lips, as he watched the children dancing, breaking the elegant flow of motion as the dancers waltzed. He could not bring himself to dance with them, no matter how much he wanted to, for the thought of leaving them was sad enough. _

_Aerith rolled her eyes as Sora and Roxas made silly faces at them, Zack joining them in seconds._

_"Why don't you go and join them, dear? Go dance with Kairi, or find some pretty young woman to dance with. I hear young Mistress Tifa has kept her eye on you for some time."_

_"Mother!" The blonde gave her a shocked look, and she smiled sadly. _

_"Enjoy yourself, dear. You won't be back here for a while."_

_The blond sighed, looking back out over the crowd, where he caught the briefest glance from Tifa. He blushed and returned his attention to his family._

_"I know. It's just...I want to take everything in." That was partially a lie. He didn't nearly have enough courage to ask Tifa Lockheart for a dance. She was very pretty and sweet, but she just seemed so unapproachable. But he could never tell his mother that. No, she'd shove him right over there and embarrass him in front of the entire Imperial Court!_

_Aerith sighed heavily. "Very well. But at least go out there and tell your father that supper will be ready soon. And tell those boys to settle down while your at it." She pointed at Roxas and Sora, who were now laughing and running from a angry Kairi. Zack was laughing himself silly watching them, and was making no move to intervene. He was such a big child._

_Cloud couldn't help but smile. "Yes, ma'am." With that, he stepped back onto the dance floor. He would kind of miss the parties and the gaiety, and his family's warm smiles..._

_But most of all, he would miss his youngest brother. It was fair to say that, with so many children for Aerith and her over-worked nurse maids to look after, Cloud had been the one to primarily raise Roxas. The boy was so reckless sometimes, but that was because he was young and curious, and he needed a man to help teach him the way to act and keep him out of trouble. It was hard when his father was normally so busy, but neither brother resented him for it. Cloud adored his baby brother, over the years, they had grown as close as could be. So it wasn't hard for him to see that his leaving to help settle the developing colonies on the Destiny Islands would be hard on the boy._

_When he finally reached them, Roxas perked up at the sight of him. Disregarding Kairi and her rampage, he ran to Cloud's side and hugged him, smiling brightly. Cloud reached down and gently tousled his hair. Then, without warning, he scooped the boy up over one shoulder and prepared to walk back to the throne area. He called to Zack, "Mother says it's almost time to eat."_

_The man smiled and nodded, turning to his other children to motion them back before he addressed the crowd._

_Roxas, meanwhile, was squealing happily, practically bouncing on his shoulder._

_"Yay! Food!" He laughed as Cloud began to tickle his side, and the older boy tightened his grip so that his brother wouldn't fall off. Aerith raised an eyebrow when he returned, a frown spreading over her face._

_"Cloud, that's highly improper. Put him down, please."_

_The older boy shrugged and set his brother back on his feet. Roxas pouted slightly._

_"Aww, mama, you're no fun!"_

_The Queen smiled and pinched his cheek, motion toward the staircase._

_"Why don't you two go talk? Cloud has a special surprise for you, don't you honey?"_

_Roxas's eyes lit of with excitement, and Cloud couldn't help but chuckle at his eagerness. Bouncing with excitement, Roxas followed his brother off to the side of the grand staircase, unaware of a curious pair of green eyes following him. A lone kitchen boy was watching him from the door nearby, smiling as he watched the younger boy talking to his brother. The boy continued to watch until he was pulled back inside the kitchens by the head cook, but even as he was pulled away, his eyes still lingered._

_Roxas stood in front of Cloud expectantly, his blue eyes shining with curiosity. The taller blond laughed and pulled out a small black and white tiled bracelet, holding it out for his brother to see. It was made of a thick material, like a cuff; not very easily bent. It almost looked too large for Roxas's wrist, but Cloud knew it would bend just a little, and that was all he needed. It could easily be readjusted like that until he grew. His mother had told him that it would. She had seemed particularly certain that Roxas would love it._

_The younger boy cocked his head slightly._

_"I thought you said boys didn't wear jewelry."_

_Cloud smiled, ruffling his hair lightly. "Mostly they don't, but it's okay in this case. You're a Strife after all. You can do whatever you want."_

_Roxas nodded firmly, smiling brightly. "Yeah! I'm a man!"_

_The older boy laughed again, before taking Roxas's hand and gently slipping the bracelet onto his wrist. The light-hearted air slowly began to dissipate then, and Cloud felt his smile wavering as he looked at his little brother fondly. Would he be alright without him for a while? Roxas was a bit of a scaredy-cat and clung to him frequently. What would he do if he had a nightmare, or if another child in the family started picking on him again?_

_Cloud sighed to himself, noticing faintly as Roxas cocked his head curiously at the sound. It was time for the boy to start fighting his own battles, but at least he could leave a little part of himself behind so that Roxas knew he would always be there for him..._

_"Do you really have to go?"_

_He looked down to see sad blue eyes watching him. They were so expressive and beautiful; Cloud couldn't help but think his brother would be very striking one day. Surely any lady at court would fall for those beautiful eyes._

_He knelt down and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I have to. The colonies need help getting settled. They need someone to lead them."_

_"But," and Roxas's bottom lip began to quiver pathetically, "But I'll miss you!"_

_"I'll miss you too." He pulled Roxas into a warm hug, feeling the boy tremble lightly in his arms. He raised one hand to pet the soft golden hair that was so like his own. Blonde seemed to be a rare gene in this family; he and Roxas were the only two that had it._

_"But it's not forever. I'll be back soon," he consoled, rocking slightly to calm his brother down. Roxas sniffled into his shirt._

_"I don't w-want you to leave..."_

_Cloud was at a loss for what to do. He hated seeing Roxas so upset, but there was no excuse he could make about this trip. He was needed to go; happy to go, in fact. He was proud that his father trusted him with this assignment. He always felt like a little bit of an outsider, even in his own family._

_Aerith was looking back from her seat on the throne with a look of worry, and as the rest of the family left the dance floor, Cloud could see more and more of them looking curiously at the brothers. Sora, ever the oblivious one, could be seen asking what was going on. Zack patted his shoulder before giving Cloud a reassuring smile, and at just that moment, the older boy got an idea._

_It wasn't much, but it would help. He held Roxas's away at arm's length, wiping the tears from his eyes before taking the boy's left hand and pulling the bracelet off. He turned it so that the inside was facing up and put his arm around the still sniffling little boy. "Read what it says."_

_Roxas held the bracelet closer to his eyes and squinted. He then read the words aloud, slowly._

_"I'm the black and you are white. I'm the dark and you're the light. No matter how apart we'll be, we'll meet again in Destiny." There was a little scribble beside it that had the letter "C," Cloud's little signature whenever he wrote letters to Roxas._

_Roxas looked up at his brother with wide eyes, blinking away the still running tears, and Cloud laughed, ruffling his hair again. "You're so cute. You'll always be my baby brother, no matter where we go. And someday soon, I promise I'll take you to Destiny Islands with me."_

_Eyes widened further. "Really? That's what it means?" When Cloud nodded, Roxas pitched himself forward into his arms, almost knocking the older boy off his feet. "Oh, Cloud! That sounds like fun!"_

_Cloud smiled and nodded, kissing the boy's forehead softly. "See? It'll all work out. We can go together when you're older. We'll see the new opera house they're building and everything. Anything you'd like."_

_"Thank you so much, Cloud!" The boy snuggled closer to him, his arms wound tightly for one so small and thin-looking. He looked up at his brother, smiling softly. "I love you."_

_"Love you too, kiddo."_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_Quiet murmurs echoed around the room as Ansem the Wise strode forward purposely toward the throne. He was a tall man, large and intimidating, and his eyes had a dangerous flash to them. His hair was a light blond, slicked back slightly against his head, and he was dressed in elegant, dark robes, symbolizing his allegiance to the the royal family. Though tonight, from the look in his eyes, many had never seen more hatred and contempt for them before._

_Even the kitchen staff had come out to see why he was here. The man had entered the ball loudly with a slam of the doors, and entered without announcing himself further. Zack rose from his seat and walked forward calmly, though his eyes showed his clear displeasure._

_"Ansem, why are you here? There is work that needs to be done."_

_The old man scoffed, looking at him with firm defiance. "While you and your family enjoy the ball? Preposterous! Why was I not invited?"_

_"This party does not concern you. I'm merely wishing my son a safe journey."_

_Ansem scoffed again, more harshly now. "Doesn't concern me? By all accounts, I have more right to be here than you."_

_Zack narrowed his eyes. "How dare you speak to me this way?"_

_The old man shrugged and turned away. "Someone should have long before this." He gestured around the grand ballroom with his hand. "All of this show of finery and power...all of it for nothing. These people know your time is coming to an end. The second the axe falls, they will flock to the next man who claims the power."_

_The entire room gasped. The royal advisor, normally a calm, even-tempered man, had the audacity to insult the king. To question his power and status. Ansem did not seem fazed by any of it, though, and he even looked back at the rest of the royal family, his eyes filled with cold, barely hidden loathing. His eyes met Aerith's for only a moment, but the Queen was left shuddering when he finally looked away. Sora shrank back in his seat slightly, and Roxas moved to cower behind his big brother's leg, looking particularly nervous when the vizier's eyes fell on him._

_Zack looked lost and unsure for a moment, before he seemed to decide that action was called for. He seemed to be struggling with the desire to keep face and the desire to put down anyone who would embarrass him so openly before his court. He had always thought of Ansem as a friend, but apparently, the other man didn't find the feeling mutual._

_Carefully, Zack lowered his voice, seeing that the man was close enough that he would hear and no one else._

_"Ansem...in all your years of service, I have never heard this hostility you now show towards me. But this is neither the time nor the place. Can we at least discuss this civilly once the party is over?"_

_"There is no need to hide your anger, Your Highness," Ansem spat venomously. "Your time is coming soon enough. All these years I have wasted, attending to your beck and call, when you do not even have the courage or vision to rule. This country starves because you are weak. You and your foolish family. It deserves one better than you."_

_Zack's voice rose a little this time. "That's enough, Ansem. You forget your place."_

_"My place is yours, where I should be. I am more deserving of that crown than you could ever be."_

_"Enough!" Guards rushed forward from the sides of the room, past the murmuring, fearful crowds so that they could subdue the royal advisor. This would surely bring a scandal down on their heads; the vizier questioning his master's rule, as well as vying for the throne right in front of him! It was unheard of! Zack looked around at his people, hearing their murmurs and feeling their stares eating into him. Ansem couldn't be right. No matter his wisdom, here he just couldn't be right._

_"Take him away," he commanded, pointing to the door. "Get him out of my sight. I will deal with this later."_

_Ansem didn't struggle with his holders, but he leveled a dark glare at the king._

_"This isn't over. I hold more of a trump than you know." He looked from Aerith to Cloud, who was consoling a scared looking Roxas hiding behind his leg. "Your family will pay for this. I assure you."_

_And that was the last of it, for now. Zack turned and strode back to his throne, rubbing one hand against his forehead in frustration. He motioned for the music to pick up and the dancing to resume, but everyone did so stiffly, watching their troubled ruler from the corner of their eyes. He could feel their stares, hear the dying murmurs..._

_Aerith reached a hand out to touch his shoulder comfotingly, but he slapped it away._

_The words could not be unsaid. He was sure that this night would continue to haunt him yet._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_Little did they know, Ansem was not going to wait for them to finish twiddling their thumbs. Even confined to his own room, he could still bring about their demise so easily. The old man strode over to his books, finding a heavy, dark red leather volume and dropping it on the table before him with a loud thump. A silver head that had been resting on the bed nearby lifted slightly._

_"Master? What's going on?"_

_Without looking up at him, Ansem began flipping through the pages._

_"The time has come, Riku. I will act now and take his throne by force. I won't rest until every last one of his vile brood lies dead." He stopped on one page in particular and began chanting hushed words to himself. Riku's eyes widened at that, and he sat up fully, coming to his master's side._

_"Do you really think it's wise, Master? Selling your soul just so you can rule a tiny little country, whose people are so fickle anyway?"_

_"He already has my soul," the man replied calmly. "And he will get it in full when my revenge is complete. My powers will be more than enough to keep those peasants in line."_

_Riku didn't say anything more. He did as he was told, gathering items for Ansem when he ordered them, trying not to think about the situation and what was in store. In theory, he shouldn't care, because once Ansem got what he wanted, he would be free of their contract and could do whatever the hell he wanted with his life. And what happened to the man's soul was really none of his business. With that in mind, he watched as Ansem cast the spell, thinking only of the freedom he would soon be granted, whether the old man liked it or not._

_It was a simple spell, by all accounts, and the discontent among the people made it all the easier to apply. Slowly, it festered itself within the hearts of men, those who were without work, home, or food, or others desperate in these times, and called out to them to fight. Revolt, the impulse commanded them. Revolt against the man who rules you, who lives in the lap of luxury while you starve out in the streets. The man who's very name is Strife._

_Kill him and his family, it bade, leave nothing left of their legacy. Then the country would be their's to rule, with the wise master Ansem's help. Together, they could make a better place for all..._

_This spell slipped in and out of the minds of the townsfolk, whispered in their ears as they grabbed whatever they could find. Swords, pitchforks, torches, anything that was available. Together, men and women marched to the gates of the mansion, jostling and rallying as they fought with the heavy chains that kept the riffraff out. They were broken so easily, and any guard that tried to stop them beyond the metal gates was bludgeoned and stabbed and trampled in the snow. As they marched on the mansion, intent on slaughtering everyone inside, a single chant rose on the air through their midst._

_"Praise Ansem..."_


	2. Prologue part 2

_Screams erupted as people fled the mansion. People panicked and fled to escape, not caring who they tripped or trampled in their wake. The nobles and servants were all eager to leave the Strife's mansion, all allegiances discarded even as they were slaughtered by the angry peasants. In the end, it was all futile._

_"Mama! Papa!"_

_Roxas stumbled about, being pushed and thrown this way and that as people pushed past him. He heard screams coming from all around him. _

_"They're in the mansion!" _

_"Quick, get to the windows!" _

_"Hurry, children!"_

_Tears were filling his eyes as he was once again shoved to the ground, scraping his knee on the rough carpet. When he could see over the crowd, there were red and gold lights flaring outside the windows. Fire..._

_He sat up, only to be pushed down again. The terrified people scampered over him without care, kicking him so hard that he cried out in pain. Roxas yelped and covered his head, trying not to be trampled in the chaos._

_"Mama!"_

_"Roxas!" __The little blonde looked up just in time to see Cloud materializing through the crowd. The older boy scooped him up quickly in his arms and Roxas instinctively clung to his brother's neck, shivering violently._

_"Cloud, w-what's going on?" he cried. "Where's Mama?"_

_"I don't know!" Cloud growled, making the younger boy wince and start to sniffle. Cloud gave him a small sympathetic look and patted his back. "Sorry. We got separated, but we'll find them later. We have to get out of here now."_

_Roxas nodded. He still didn't understand what was happening, but he did understand the urgency in his brother's voice. He trusted Cloud. Cloud always knew what to do..._

_After a moment, the older boy put him down again, and he grabbed his hand tightly, following him as they looked for a way to escape. The cries of revolt were getting closer, and over that were the screams of people who couldn't get out of their way in time._

_"Damn it! What can we-"_

_Cloud stopped as he suddenly felt the hand slip out of his, and before he knew it, Roxas was sprinting upstairs. Cloud called after him desperately._

_"Roxas, no! Come back!"_

_The little boy paused at the top, clutching the banister. "I left my bracelet in my room! I have to go get it!"_

_"Damn it!" The older blonde was after him immediately. __Cloud opened the door to the children's room; it was large and full of toys of all sorts. Dolls and wooden horses and all sorts of things that most of the children had grown out of, but had still held on to. Roxas and Sora were the only ones who still played with any of it, but they were quickly growing boys. The older blonde saw his brother rummaging through the drawer by his bed, and he practically slammed the door shut._

_"Roxas, we need to go! Now!" He reached the boy and grabbed him by the shoulder, trying to tug him away. "This isn't the time! I'll get you a new bracelet!"_

_Roxas shook his head vehemently. "No! It's special! You gave it to me!"_

_"DAMN IT, ROXAS, I'LL GET YOU ANOTHER ONE! COME ON!"_

_The boy struggled in his hold, his hands still desperately searching the drawer as he was pulled away. "I know I put it in here somewhere! Please!"_

_Cloud finally jerked the crying boy away harshly, pulling him back towards the door. He ignored the sobbing, trying to stay focused. The older boy didn't mean to be so cold, but there was no time to waste. He already feared that people would be ascending the steps, ready to murder them. _

_Hopefully they weren't too late..._

_But as soon as he turned to go, he saw the door standing open, heard the echoes of blood-curdling screams. A boy stood before him. He vaguely recognized him as one of the kitchen boys, though his hair and eyes were so unique in their sheer color and brightness. They sparkled in the deep glow from the firelight outside the window._

_"I hoped I would find you two here."_

_Cloud was about ready to shove him aside. "Move! We need to escape!"_

_"Of course. I just thought you'd be missing this." The boy held out the bracelet in his palm, watching Roxas's teary eyes light up with relief. He smiled when the blonde snatched it away, slipping it back onto his wrist and clutching it to his chest desperately. "Thank you!"_

_"It's nothing. Sorry there's a small chip in on the left side." He pointed to a place where the black and white had chipped slightly, enough so that there was a small sliver missing from the black and white square close to the end of the cuff. "I don't know how that happened."_

_"It's okay." Roxas said, smiling brightly. He stepped over to the older boy and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you so much."_

_"Never mind that!" Cloud shouted desperately, grabbing Roxas's arm and pushing the door open. "We have to get out of here!"_

_The redheaded boy, who seemed to have zoned out momentarily, shook his head. "Let me come with you!" _

_The three of them ran down the long hall. Just as they reached the top of the stairs, Roxas looked down and screamed._

_"PAPA!"_

_Against his better judgement, Cloud looked in the direction of his brother's eyes and almost gagged at the sight. Zack's body was being beaten and broken just at the bottom of the stairs. His eyes were open and glazed over; dead. The rest of him was black, blue, and deep, deep red._

_The rugged, dirty looking man closest to the body yelled, "Hey, I see more of em! Up there!"_

_As he pointed, Cloud growled, pulling Roxas protectively closer._

___The redhead boy grabbed Roxas's other wrist and motioned to a different hallway adjacent to them. "Quick! Follow me!"_

_Cloud followed behind them until they reached a room with a grey, old wooden door. The servant ushered them inside and closed it, latching the door behind them. As he looked around the room, Cloud saw that there was one window, a tiny one, and not much else besides a few beds and scattered other objects. It was large like the children's room, but felt more empty somehow._

_"How are we going to escape now?" he asked, turning to the boy who was running to the far wall near the window. "There's no way out! We're several stories up!" Roxas would never survive that fall._

_The boy tapped the wall slightly before he seemed to grab a section of it and pull. A part of the wall began to open up, and a dark passage was revealed behind it. Roxas wiped his eyes and stepped back cautiously as it came fully open._

_"W-What's that?"_

_"This is the servants' quarters," the boy replied. "And this," he indicated the hole in the wall with his thumb, "is a special passage that leads out of the mansion. It's always been here. I'm not sure if the Strife's ever knew about it..."_

_"Can we please just go already?" Cloud yelled. There was already pounding and breaking sounds coming from the door. Roxas gave a frightened squeak and he quickly followed Cloud into the dark passage. The wall began to close behind them, and Roxas turned to see the older boy shutting it behind them._

_"Wait! Aren't you coming with us?"_

_The redhead smiled at him, continuing to push the heavy wall segment back into place. "I'll be fine. Just go."_

_Roxas smiled sadly. "Thank you..."_

_"Axel. The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" The boy gave him a wink, and Roxas chuckled weakly._

_"Thank you...Axel..."_

_Cloud's grip tightened on his hand, squeezing with urgency, and Roxas turned to follow his brother quickly, disappearing into the dark passage just as the wall slid back into place._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_Cloud ran through the cold snow, trying to put as much distance as he could between them and the mansion. He could see torchlight every time he looked over his shoulder, but soon they would be out of the woods and leave that place far behind. There was the sound of a train in the distance, preparing to leave the Twilight Town station. He just hoped that they would catch it in time..._

_"Roxas, you have to keep running." The boy behind him was constantly stumbling in the heavy snow. The two of them were quickly tiring, and neither were dressed for the ridiculously cold winter they were facing._

_The little blonde was panting heavily, trying his best to keep up. As Cloud looked ahead, he saw that they were just about to cross over the frozen lake. They would reach the actually town soon, and then-_

_Suddenly, Roxas tripped and fell, screaming out to him, and as Cloud looked back, he gasped in horror. Ansem the wise was there, following them. He lay on the ice with Roxas, grabbing the little boy's leg harshly and refused to let go. When Cloud tried to get closer and throw him off, he kept slipping on the ice below his feet._

_"Let me go!" Roxas screamed, kicking his legs frantically. His free leg smacked hard against the ice, causing the tiniest little cracks to for. Ansem just tugged hard, drawing the boy closer to him._

_"The two of you aren't going anywhere!" the old man growled back, tightening his grip. Cloud looked down, seeing the cracks growing bigger and more prominent. That was not good._

_"Let go! That hurts!"_

_Just then, the ice sheet began to really crack. Ansem released his leg long enough for Roxas to scramble away, pulled slightly by his brother. But then there was a loud crack and Ansem fell off the edge of the frozen lake. Cloud pulled Roxas into his arms and the two of them watched with mild horror as the man sank into the water._

_"Are you alright?" The older boy asked, holding the shaking blonde close in his arms. Roxas clung to him tightly, but he nodded yes, so Cloud quickly pressed on, choosing to carry his little brother for a while. It was a little faster than trying to drag him through snow that was at least 1/3 his height._

_As they ran, they didn't see the silver-haired boy racing to the edge of the water, dropping to his knees in front of the hole._

_"Master?"_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_They reached the train station right as the train was preparing to leave. Desperate, Cloud grabbed the nearest man next to them and shook him urgently._

_"Is that the last train tonight?" he asked, pointing at it. The man, who's blonde hair was lighter and short, looked startled, but nodded._

_"Yes. There's been some sort of trouble at the mansion, and they need to get their shipments out- hey!"_

_Cloud pulled his little brother along, shoving through the crowd as the train whistle blew and the car slowly began to move. The princes raced along the tracks, and Cloud let go for only a moment to grab the rail._

_"Help us!" he called to the people on board. A conductor grabbed his hand and pulled him up, but Roxas was still trying to keep up on his own. The train was going faster and faster..._

_"Roxas, take my hand!" Cloud reached out and grabbed the little boy's hand, trying to pull him up onto the platform. But the wind and chill were strong, and Roxas was falling further behind the train._

_"Cloud! Don't let go!" Teary blue eyes begged him, wide and terrified. _

_"I won't, just hold on!" The older boy turned to the conductor, snapping, "Don't just stand there! Help me!"_

_And then the small, sweaty hand slipped out of his. _

_Everything moved in slow motion from there. Cloud screamed as his brother toppled backwards. He pitched forward to grab Roxas, to throw himself out of the train, if necessary, but the conductor had called for assistance, and he and the other men grabbed Cloud and held him back. _

_"No! Let me go! Roxas!" He fought and struggled with all his might, eyes fixed on the little blonde now laying still, sprawled on the tracks. Cloud kept fighting until they chugged out of sight._

_"ROXAS!"_


	3. 1

If I did study the Russian Revolution, it was a long time ago. So if any of this sounds historically accurate to that, it's purely coincidence. Plus this is AU akuroku :)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_It's been some time, my friend. I look forward to seeing you again in better circumstances. Please do me the favor of burning this letter after you read. I'm leaving my name out of it, but I'm sure that those damn reds will be able to track me down all the same if they find this._

_The weather is as gloomy in Twilight Town as her people. The sky was once a beautiful shade of sunset orange, but now it bares the dinge and soot of a thousand factories. Food is more plentiful, yes, but everyday that I go into work, I see more and more people dying in horrible accidents. Just yesterday, I saw a man lose his left hand in one of the machines. The blood loss and trauma of it were so terrible that the man was dead long before the reds came in to remove his body. Then they told us to go back to work and slipped away, like they always do._

_I will pay for this someday, I know it, but things were better with the Strifes on the throne. This new mentality of everyone works, everyone eats accordingly is all well and good, but the government gives itself bonuses when they think we aren't looking. They get more food and money than everyone, and yet if a baker steals to provide for his family, he will be shot in front of the whole town as an example. They never make an example of themselves, only those who cannot defend themselves. If I could, I would leave this town in a heartbeat. But my wife, as you know, contracted that illness in November. The doctors can't seem to find a cure, and I don't think the cold is helping her at all, but if I try to move her, then she..._

_I can only hope that things will get better soon. Officials always seem to qwarell amongst themselves, so perhaps we will have a new group in power soon enough. But I hate feeling so helpless. There is nothing we can do to choose the ones to rule us. We just switched one dictator for another._

_I hope you and your family are well. If a time comes when we can get out, perhaps I shall meet you one day in Traverse Town. But for now, I pray for all of us._

_Sincerely,_

_C. H. _

_Unknown letter, December the 8th, 1927_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Rox, it's time for your party! Come on!"

The blonde boy looked up from the book he was reading, wondering if he should even bother. But he gave the brunet a sweet smile and set the book down on the floor, before standing and brushing the excess dust of his pants.

"I'm coming. I'm coming..."

Rox followed Olette out of the tiny boy's room he shared at the orphanage, down a long, grey-papered hallway to the kitchen. In there, he found all of his friends. Hayner, Pence, even Seifer, the resident bully. There were many other children there as well, as well as a tiny little cake with one candle and a couple of odd packages wrapped in slightly torn tissue paper. Such were birthdays at the Twilight Town Orphanage, but his in particular was special. Because as soon as a child turned eighteen, Mistress Larxene, or the bug-haired bitch, as many of the children lovingly called her, would toss them out into the world.

"Go on, Rox," Olette said, "Blow out the candle. Make a wish."

"Yeah, chicken wuss," Seifer threw in, lounging in his chair and looking bored as usual. "Hurry up and get it over with." He was well past eighteen himself, but it was the rare case that Mistress Larxene liked him. And because his bullying kept the children grateful and in line, she agreed to put him up for another few years.

As the blond looked down at his meager birthday cake, he knew exactly what he would wish for. Luck. He leaned in and blew out the tiny flame, smiling up at his friends as they clapped. Hayner clapped him on the back hard, almost causing him to jolt face-first into the food.

"Well, buddy, you're officially a man now. Go out there and make us proud."

Rox smiled and turned so he could give the older boy a hug, but Hayner stepped back quickly, evading it. When Rox gave him a confused, slightly hurt look, the other boy looked down and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't want you acting like this is goodbye," he muttered, just loud enough that Rox could hear him. "We'll all see each other again soon. Just you wait and see."

The blonde's smile returned and he reached out a hand for Hayner to shake. His friend gave him that stupid grin he always wore, and they shook hands like men. And just as he let go, Rox jumped when he felt two bodies crash into his, consuming him in a bone-crushing hug. Olette and Pence were far less reserved when it came to wishing their friend well.

"Oh, I'm going to miss you, Rox!" Olette sobbed slightly, her arms around his neck squeezing tighter, making Rox choke. "I wish you didn't have to go!"

"This place'll be hell without you!" Pence whined in turn, crushing his midsection.

"Quit your whining," Seifer called from across the room.

Rox let out a harsh, breathy laugh and patted each of his friends' heads respectively.

"I'll miss you too, guys...but...can't...breathe..."

They let him go, each murmuring a soft "sorry." Rox could see their eyes beginning to tear up, and he looked over to Hayner for help. But the other blonde was already digging into HIS cake, and that settled Rox's problem very quickly. Food at the orphanage was usually first come, first serve; meaning, if he didn't get over there quickly, he wouldn't even get to taste his own birthday cake.

"Hey!" he cried, playfully shoving Hayner away. "Let me have some!"

"Then hurry up and get some," Hayner mumbled, food falling out of his mouth as he did so. He shoved a cheap plate into Rox's hands and all at once, all the children began scooping up bits with their hands, eager to get as much as they could. It was almost turned into an epic food fight, had Mistress Larxene not come in and announced it was time to go.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shoving as much into his ratty, holed pockets as he could, Rox groaned lightly as Larxene dragged him by his scarf out into the courtyard, leading him toward the main gates. He looked back over his shoulder and saw everyone waving from the windows, and he turned to wave to them as well.

"Bye, guys! Take care while I'm gone!"

Another rough jerk of the scarf choked him, and he turned forward again to hear the old broad muttering things to him.

"Finally get to toss out another one, and he has to take his damn sweet time with it..."

"Aw, but Larxene," he said, with fake sad eyes and dripping sarcasm, "I thought you loved me."

"Shut up, brat! I love having one less useless mouth to feed!" she growled, giving him another painful jerk. Rox didn't know much about the town itself, but he was happy for the few regulations Twilight Town had set up for the orphanage. If it weren't for the little laws set in place, he was sure Larxene would have left them to starve long ago. She couldn't, and so she took it out by beating them up whenever possible. But that life was behind him now.

The blonde boy blinked, realizing that while he was thinking, Larxene had begun spouting something to him about what he was to do.

"I got you a job at the fish factory. Follow the path til you reach the fork in the road. Make sure to go left."

Rox rolled his eyes and pulled his old scarf out of her hands, walking forward easily on his own.

"Fine, fine..."

But Larxene stopped him. She grabbed his arm and turned him around to face her, giving him a gruff look.

"I know that look in your eyes. I don't give two shits about that little dream of yours. It took a lot to get you this job, and you better fucking show up for it."

Rox rolled his eyes again, making her growl. She grabbed the front of his shirt and waved a threatening finger in his face. "You don't have a family. So you better not screw this up. If you don't get this job, don't even bother coming back."

"Right, because I love it here _sooo _much."

The woman shoved him away so she could open the gates. Then she grabbed his arm and tossed him out into the snow. She slammed the heavy iron gates behind her and began making the snowy trek back to the house, "Meeting in Destiny...bah!"

Rox shook his head and brushed the snow off, moving to rub his arms a little. It was cold out there, and the orphanage's ratty clothes did nothing to shield him from the elements.

"Well, I guess I better start walking then." And he slowly made his way off down the path, into the unknown that would be his future...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


	4. 2

Rox ambled along on his way, mostly looking at the snowy, trampled path before him. In the face of Larxene, he'd been pretty confident that he would choose the right path once he reached the fork. But now he was feeling unsure about the whole thing...

He was never that bummed about not being adopted. Sure, he had seen a couple good friends leave with nice looking families, and he'd been happy for them. They deserved to have families that loved and wanted them, not some stupid old lady that liked to beat them upside the head whenever she was in a bad mood. It was just...

The blonde paused. He thought he had seen a little clump of snow hopping towards him. But when he looked around, there was nothing. He shook his head and continued on his way...

When he wasn't shivering, he was fiddling with the bracelet on his left wrist, mostly hidden under his sleeve. When he first came to live at the orphanage, he'd learned pretty quickly that people there weren't just weird about stealing whatever food they could get. This black and white cuff looked nice; he couldn't place the exact material of it or where he had gotten it, but he knew it had to be made of something valuable. And because it was nice, he'd had to fight and get it back from the older kids a few times; even Seifer had stolen it once.

The bracelet was important to him for more than just that, though. It was the only thing he'd had when he first arrived at the orphanage; cold and alone and missing most of his memories. He held onto it dearly for all these years, hoping it could shed some light on who he was or where he belonged, but so far, nothing.

He didn't want to be adopted by some family. Not because he was ungrateful or that he wanted to be alone, but because he had faith that out there, somewhere, there was a family waiting for him. Maybe a mother and a father, possibly a brother or a sister. In his mind, anything was better than nothing. But there had to be something, and so he couldn't accept a bunch of strangers taking him in...

But that raised a whole other set of questions in his mind. If he did have a family, why weren't they here? Why had he been found and taken to the orphanage, if someone was out there for him? Larxene and Seifer teased him about these questions all the time, and while he tried not to let it get to him, he couldn't help but feel a little bit bitter. Rox believed firmly that every child deserved a loving family, himself included, and now that he was legally free of that rundown old orphanage, he was free to go out into the world and find his answers. He was going to prove them wrong and settle his own doubts as well. Somehow...

But where to look? The blonde stopped when he came to the fork in the road, pausing a moment to pull his bracelet off and look at the inside. There were words inscribed on the inside, and, over time, Rox had worked out that the capital "D" in the word "Destiny" was probably referring to Destiny Islands. But that was so far away; practically a continent away! And he had no money!

And, as an extra, personal fear of his, what if he did manage to get there, but found no one there waiting for him?

Looking up at the sign post, Rox knew he had to make a decision now.

_Is it the left or the right?_

To the right was an uncertain future, depending on what he found in town. But to the left was certainty and, almost worst, mediocrity. He'd live out the remainder of his life, possibly never figuring out who he was before. He'd be a nobody forever...

"Oh, boy," he groaned, rubbing his forehead in frustration. All this stressing. He wasn't even getting the chance to enjoy his newfound freedom.

"Please, somebody up there! Send me a sign, would you?"

It was at that moment that a small, round ball of fur attacked him from behind.

"What the h-" was all Rox managed to get out before he hit the ground face first, forcefully inhaling a bit of snow in the impact. He spluttered indignantly, as whatever it was moved off of his back, and Rox pushed himself up quickly, glaring around.

"Hey, what's the big...?"

A small, brown dog was sitting in the snow beside him, its little tail wagging a mile a minute and its tongue hanging out in light pant. It looked up at him with big expectant blue eyes, while he looked down at it with confusion. Rox usually liked animals, so he shrugged off the attack as harmless, and knelt down a bit so he was more level with the dog.

"Hey there, little guy," he said softly, reaching out and petting the fluffy head softly. The dog gave a happy little yip and leaned up to lick his hand, making Rox smile wider.

"You sure are friendly, aren't you? But who do you belong to?" He didn't see a dog tag or a collar at all. The little dog had big, floppy ears and thick, matted brown fur. It looked a bit unkempt, so maybe the dog didn't have an owner. But then, how was he so tame and friendly?

Rox didn't have much time to wonder about this, though, because suddenly the dog jumped forward, took hold of his scarf in its mouth, and started running around in circles with it. The blonde yelped as he was dragged to his feet, and the little dog gave a bark before pulling him in the direction of the right path.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on!" he cried, grabbing part of the scarf and tugging back towards him. All think yanking was bad for his neck.

The dog stopped and looked back at him, barking some more. Rox rolled his eyes.

"Okay..._You _want me to go to Twilight Town. That helps a lot, universe! That really helps a lot!"

But then again, why not? If this really was some sign from a higher power, maybe he should take it. Rox sighed, brushing a bit more of the snow off his clothes before he looked up the path to where the little dog now stood. He looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, shivering a little as the wind picked up around him, reminding him of the chill. The wind rustled the branches of the trees all around, and it seemed that all the branches were bending to face the right path. Rox sighed.

"Fine. I can take a hint. Lead on, you...?" Come to think of it, if this dog was in it with him for the long, he should probably give it a name. Rox looked at the dog intently for a moment, and a name just seemed to pop in there. The dog was hyper, goofy, clumsy, a little bit aggravating. He didn't know where the name came from, but in his head, he thought it suited the little ball of fluff perfectly.

"How about I call you...Sora." The dog gave another happy yip, and then turned around and bounded through the snow. Rox couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"I'll take that as a yes...Hey, wait up!"

The blonde picked up his feet and ran through the snow, laughing like a kid again when he leapt over fallen logs and rocks in his path. He was so excited; he finally had a chance to find his family. And if nothing came of it, then at least he would find somewhere better to live than that awful home. Sora barked every now and again, hopping in and out of the heavy snow and disappearing when he jumped into the white. Rox chuckled at his antics. Despite all his silliness, he really was pretty cute.

"Come on, Sora," he finally said, stopping long enough to scoop the dog out of the snow and into his arms. "Let's get there before we freeze."

The journey didn't take too long, but once they reached the town, Rox was...a little disappointed, to be honest. The town had a rather dingy, grey look to it, and the people he passed on the way to the train station were all filthy and ratty looking. He was shoved frequently in the crowd, which annoyed him greatly, not being nearly tall enough to push some of them back. Curse his late growth spurt!

But as he walked, the boy took in his new surroundings with a kind of interest also. Most of the old buildings were being renovated or taken down, but a lot of the architecture was beautiful. It was certainly from a different time, but to Rox, it could have been a different world entirely. It was such a contrast from the boxy-looking factories; there were elegant arches and domes all around the town, the colors faded but still standing out against the dinge greatly.

He passed a man who was sitting on a bench reading a newspaper, and he almost stopped for a moment as he read over the headlines. Living at the orphanage, most children didn't concern themselves with what was happening in the outside world, but having been so isolated for so long, the boy was curious. When had there been another revolution? Or was that just political wording?

After the first one, he knew a new government had taken power, but he didn't know that there had been any more. Weren't those supposed to make things better? Looking around him once more, Rox didn't think this town looked very nice at all. The older buildings hinted at a long-forgotten beauty, but perhaps everyone thought it best to discard their past and move forward. Rox couldn't ever do that...

Rox reached the train station soon after, setting Sora down on the trampled-snow paths where he could walk on his own. He moved up to the ticket counter, but then stopped. How was he supposed to pay for this?

"Hey, kid." He looked up at the fat, grumpy looking lady with a mole on her cheek, who sat behind the counter. "You going to buy a ticket or what?"

"I-I..." Larxene hadn't given him anything but the clothes on his back, which weren't doing that much for him in this weather. Damn it!

"Look, if you're not gonna buy a ticket, move over there. I got customers waiting."

"Oh. Y-Yeah, sorry..." He moved off to the side quickly, trying to think of what to do. He had neither a passport nor any money, so did that mean he was stuck here forever anyway?

Rox moved until he was far out of the crowd and sat down in the snow by a lamp post, burying his head in his knees for a moment. His dog followed and sat in front of him, his tail still wagging happily.

"What am I going to do, Sora?" He had no money to feed either of them. Rox looked up at the mutt and gave a sad smile. "You probably want to find someone else to follow, buddy. I don't have any food for either of us."

The dog cocked his head to the side slightly, but his tail kept wagging. Rox sighed heavily and extended his arms, pulling the dog up into his lap.

"Alright. But don't blame me if you starve."

Sora nuzzled him and curled up against his chest, letting out a little yawn. Rox felt a small smile spreading over his face, and he ruffled the fur on Sora's head. A quick nap might not be so bad after all. He was cold and tired after all, and no one was just going to come up and offer him a place to stay. At least he could feel a little heat being emitted from the nearby shops. That alone warmed him and encouraged him to give in, as his eyelids fluttered lightly, sleepy.

So, against his better judgement, the boy curled in on himself as much as he was able. He fell asleep shortly after, oblivious to the crowds and the dinge and the cold, if only for a little while...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, in another part of town, a young, eager redhead was sitting in a rundown, old mansion bedroom, throwing heaps of clothes into a suitcase sitting on his rumpled bed. A blonde man watched him from the door, shaking his head lightly.

"Don't you think we should actually _find _the kid before we pack for the trip? I mean, we can't leave until we find him anyway."

"Demyx," the redhead chided, shaking his head with a smile. "Where's your enthusiasm? All we need to do is pick up some blonde and we're good to go!"

"By that logic, I could play the part."

The redhead pushed the suitcase shut, but it wouldn't close all the way. He began trying to sit on it to get it closed.

"You look nothing like Cloud, Demyx."

"Right, so we have to actually look and take our time. Don't you think you're jumping the gun a bit?"

The redhead shot him a slightly annoyed look. "When did you become such a worry wort? I thought that was usually my job."

Demyx shrugged. "You're not playing it very well. Someone has to be the voice of reason here."

"That hurts, man."

The blonde sighed, watching his friend move to the bedside table where a small stack of papers sat. The top one held a picture of the royal family, and the redhead picked it up carefully and looked it over, humming to himself.

"Axel...I'm all about getting out of this crap city. But do we really need to go through with this scam?"

"Of course we do!" Axel defended, snapping back at him. He turned the picture over and set it back on the table, face down. "Don't you want to be set for life? If we can pull this off, then we'll never have to work another day! We can do what we want!"

"But what about Cloud?"

The redhead wrinkled his nose slightly, sitting down on the bed. It sagged heavily under him, the springs beaten and broken out of place long ago.

"What about him?"

Demyx rubbed his temples for a moment, as he took a step out of the doorway.

"He's been searching for years. Don't you think he's in enough pain already? If we give him the wrong person..."

Now it was Axel's turn to sigh. "Demyx, you need to learn to keep your bleeding heart out of this."

"It's not just that," the blonde said, taking a seat beside his friend. He took the picture and looked at it carefully, gazing at the small, round, smiling face. "What if he gets mad when he finds out it's not really Roxas? What if he orders his guards to beat us up?" Demyx shivered, setting the old photo down to rest on his knees. Axel rolled his eyes.

"He can't do that, Dem. He doesn't have that power anymore. Besides, Roxas is dead. We've all known it, even with these stupid hopes and rumors. Who's to say we can't profit from that a little bit?"

Demyx sighed again, more sadly this time. "I know. It's just...I feel bad for the guy...Don't you?"

The redhead shook his head firmly.

"Hell no. He's loaded and living it up on Destiny Islands. He has everything he could ever want and more. Why should I feel sorry for him?"

Demyx had heard this all before. He loved his friend like a brother, but he couldn't deny that Axel had some serious issues with his confidence and worth. All his life, he had envied the Strifes, while he worked and slaved away all his childhood for them. He didn't seem to mind it much when he was younger, but as time went on, he had grown exceedingly bitter about it. He no longer cared about anything but money, and living the good life. Demyx wouldn't mind living it too, sure; but he felt there were more important things out there. He dreamed of finding true love and spending time with friends, not living in a mansion with nothing but his cold, unfeeling money to comfort him.

He looked up at his friend earnestly, relenting and giving the best smile he could manage.

"Well, I'm with you, Axel. But let's take our time and find a good 'Roxas,' okay?"

The redhead grinned back at him, his good humor returning.

"Yeah. So, auditions?"

Demyx sighed again, standing up and brushing his pants off.

"Sure. Let's hurry up and do that so we can get back here and eat."

"Sure, Dem."


	5. 3

_Reward:_

_For the safe return of his Royal Highness, Prince Roxas Strife, the former fourth prince of Twilight Town. To anyone who can find him and make his presence known to his Royal Highness, Prince Cloud Strife, the former first prince of Twilight Town. The location of the office is 1023 Key Street, Mainland Port, Destiny Islands. A reward of one million dollars will be offered to one who can produce the afore mentioned missing person for his Royal Highness. In addition, before his Highness will meet with any such person, they must go before his Highness's loyal attendant, Ms. Yuffie Kisaragi. A test of authenticity will be administered to be sure that the one brought forth is indeed who he claims to be. _

_Signed, His Royal Highness, Prince Cloud Strife._

_Printed and Dated, Mainland Port, January 21, 1918_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When he opened his eyes again, Rox found himself in a strange bed. It wasn't very comfortable, even for a boy who had slept on the floor his whole life, but it was softer and much warmer than the snow, and for that, he was grateful. As he shifted and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes, the blonde saw that Sora was cuddled up next to him, his little back leg kicking slightly when the covers were pulled back.

Rox smiled and reached down to rub his belly. As he did, he looked around the unfamiliar room, wondering how he had gotten there. It looked to be a little girl's room; the wall paper was a dull, faded pink, with a few places along the wall where it looked like it just eroded off. There were a couple of dolls and old toys lying around as well...

As he was looking around, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard outside of the room. Rox blinked, drawn out of his thoughts when the most impossibly tall stepped through the door. He was a giant! A human wall! He had short, curly red hair and big, meaty muscles; dressed in rather simple clothes, though they were nicer than anything Rox had. He looked to be scowling, at first, but when Rox looked up at him, his eyes a little wide and wary, the man adopted a pleasant smile instead.

"I'm glad you're awake," he said, his voice booming a little in that low tone. "I found you sleeping in the snow last night. The streets aren't safe for kids like you."

Rox manfully suppressed the urge to scoff, though he did narrow his eyes at the man a little.

"Just so you know, I'm eighteen. I can take care of myself."

The redhead responded by rolling his eyes slightly.

"Stubborn little thing, aren't you?" He ruffled Rox's hair lightly, ignoring the grunt that voiced his displeasure. "That's a nice way to thank the man that saved you from freezing to death. Not to mention, Zexion's not too found of dogs."

The blonde looked down at his lap, feeling faintly guilty then. He was just so tired of everyone underestimating him because he was short.

"Sorry...I really am grateful, though. That you're helping me. My name's Rox..." After a short pause, he looked up and asked, "Where are we?" There wasn't a window in the room, so he couldn't really tell where he was or what time of day it was. The man sat at the edge of his bed and began petting Sora as well, scratching under his chin and behind his ear as the dog leaned into the attention. Rox chuckled at that.

"You can call me Lexaeus, kid. I run the little bar called Nobodies' Paradise on the far side of Twilight Town. This happens to be one of the rooms above the bar. It used to be my daughter's room..."

Rox looked up, sensing the unspoken sadness there. Lexaeus was looking down at the dog again, smiling in a sad sort of way that didn't really reach his eyes.

"She'd probably be about your age now. My Xion..."

The blonde scooted forward a little in bed, looking at him sympathetically. "What happened?"

Lexaeus's hands noticeably tightened in his fists. "That damn revolution. I don't know how it started; I was working at the time. But my daughter was coming home from school when the fighting broke out. I...I never saw her again..." One hand raised to his face, covering his eyes quickly, but Rox could still see the tears and pain there. He scooted a little closer again and put his hand on the man's arm.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," the man said, his voice calming a little. Rox could still hear the tiniest quiver there, though. "It was some time ago. Zexion says I should move on, and I try. It's just...I had a fight with her that day. It was over something stupid, I don't really remember what now...but things got out of hand and she...she said she hated me. I regret it so much now because...because I never got to say goodbye."

Rox sat with him for what felt like hours. He could certainly sympathize; after all, he could easily have lost his family in the same way. He had no idea where they were or even _who _they were now. He just had to trust that the answer was in Destiny...

The blonde shook his head. He couldn't let himself fall into that trap! They couldn't be dead! No, they had to be out there somewhere, and the one thing he could never, ever do was lose hope...

"Goodness, look at me." Lexaeus wiped his eyes and sniffled, sitting back up straight and tall on the bed. "I fall apart so easily with that..."

Rox gave him a small smile. "It's funny...You don't really look like the type to have a soft spot like that."

The man chuckled. "That's what most people tell me. Zexion says it's downright shameful. But forgive me. I've been going off on a tangent, and here I haven't even asked you your story."

The blonde sat back against the pillow and sighed.

"Well, not to bring up any sad memories, but I'm looking for my family." He then told Lexaeus about growing up at the orphanage, even a few things about his friends. But mostly he talked about how he had lost his memories.

"I don't know how it happened. But I can't remember anything." Rox reached up and touched a hand to his temple. "Sometimes I've had little snippets of things. Maybe flashbacks...or maybe just in dreams. But I usually forget them as soon as I wake up, or when I do start to remember something, my head hurts. A lot."

Lexaeus nodded and listened to him patiently. Once the boy fell silent again, he tapped his chin lightly in thought.

"Destiny Islands, huh? It'll be hard to get there, especially if you have no money." Rox looked down sadly, letting out a heavy sigh. What the heck was he going to do now?

"Well, I can offer you two options. One, you could stay here and work for me for a little while. That way you could earn the money you need and have some time to think of a plan. The other option is Axel."

Rox looked up at him curiously, and Lexaeus continued, looking a little less than thrilled with this.

"I wouldn't recommend it, but I hear there's a guy in town who's looking to take someone to Destiny Islands. I forget what he said it was for, but he was looking for a blonde boy with blue eyes. I imagine you'd do."

The blonde's eyes widened slightly. "You think he would consider me?"

The man shrugged. "Probably, but I'm not one hundred percent on that. Don't know what he's looking for, specifically speaking. But it's worth a shot, right?"

Rox looked down at his lap again. He supposed so. But what if this guy Axel didn't take him? That was what he really needed to know.

He looked back up at the kind man and asked hesitantly, "If I gave that a try, and he shot me down, would it be rude of me to come back and ask for a job here?"

Lexaeus didn't look very surprised, though he leaned down closer and looked Rox straight in the eye. What he was looking at or for, the boy didn't have the slightest guess, but finally, he said, "You really want to go to Destiny Islands, don't you?"

Rox nodded firmly. "Yes. I have to find my family."

The redhead didn't say anything at first, but his smile slowly grew. It was still a bit sad, but very kind and caring. He ruffled Rox's hair again, much to the boy's growing annoyance, but the blonde could stop a small smile escaping onto his lips as well. The gesture was a little condescending, yes, but it was...familiar somehow. Overall, it was loving, and so he put up with it.

"You're a stubborn brat."

Then the door opened behind them, and a pale, thin looking man stepped in. His hair was some variation of blue or grey-ish purple, and a decent portion of it was covering his right eye.

"Now that that's settled, can we please get rid of the dog now? My allergies are acting up."

Rox frowned at the man. "He goes where I go. And I'll be out of your hair soon enough."

"Not fast enough," the man hissed quietly, scratching his upper arm lightly. "I can feel bumps on my arms."

Lexaeus shook his head, standing up from the bed slowly.

"Be nice, Zexion. I'll just go and get him some warmer clothes and then he'll be on his way." The burly man left the room then, leaving the two of them to stare in silence. Zexion was eyeing him curiously, though there was a sneer that Rox didn't really care for. He glared back at the older man defiantly, not willing to back down even for a second. From what Lexaeus said about him, this guy sounded like a real jerk.

Zexion snorted slightly, and Rox narrowed his eyes.

"You got a problem with me?"

The dark-haired man merely shrugged.

"Other than that you're a snot-nosed little brat who has no manners, not really."

The blonde felt an angry blush creeping over his face at that. How dare he?

Before he could say something, Lexaeus returned, carrying a small bundle of clothes in one arm and what looked like a small backpack in the other.

"The only children's clothes I really have are girls' clothes, but I saved a couple of old clothes from back when I was your age. They'll be a bit big on you, but they're better than the one's you've got."

Rox accepted them gratefully and quickly changed. Soon he was wearing a nice, long-sleeved green shirt with a grey jacket and red-brown pants. To top it all off, Lexaeus gave him a slightly darker green scarf that was much warmer than his old one, as well as a brown newsy cap that matched his pants. Rox couldn't remember the last time he had felt this warm. The fabric was decently soft and hugged him well, though he still looked poor. There was nothing much he could do about that.

"Thank you," he said, absently staring at himself in the mirror. This also had to be the first time he'd worn something that didn't have too much dust, dirt, or holes in it. Lexaeus smiled down at him.

"Sorry I can't give you any gloves. I don't know what happened to those."

"That's fine," the boy replied. "You've done enough for me already. I'll just stick my hands in the pockets."

Lexaeus handed him the backpack next, telling him that there was food inside, enough to get him through the day. If things didn't work out, he was welcome to come back. He was forced to promise not to sleep on any street corners again, not under Lexaeus's watch. The blonde chuckled lightly, throwing the pack over his shoulder and giving the man a big hug. It was funny and a bit awkward due to the height difference, but he was sure the man appreciated it all the same.

"Thank you. I don't know how I could ever repay your kindness to me."

The man patted his head gently. "You don't need to repay me. Just get out there and find that family of yours. You can send me a letter and tell me all about it." He gave Rox a big, goofy grin, which he returned in full.

"Wait a minute!" Zexion said, coming to stand beside Lexaeus as he crossed his arms and frowned. That was just as funny, seeing as the man was greatly taller than him too.

"I don't trust this kid. He's probably just some practiced beggar. You'll see." He narrowed his eyes at Rox, who, for a moment, blinked back at him innocently. "He'll take everything you're giving him and he'll pawn it. Or sell it. My point is, how do we know he's not a little thief."

The blonde glared now, offended. "I'm not a thief! He's _giving _me this, not lending it!"

Even Lexaeus stepped in. "Now, Zexion, you know that's not fair. Let the boy be on his way."

The dark-haired man shook his head. "Nope. I don't trust him. I'll just have to follow him to make sure he'll keep his word."

Rox's eyes widened. "You'll what?"

"Zexion, what are you-"

"No buts about it," the man said firmly, glaring at Rox. "You're too trusting, Lexaeus. I'm not going to let this little brat just con you and walk away."

"I'm not conning him!" Rox insisted, to no avail.

The redhead watched them bicker back and forth about it for several more minutes before he developed a massive headache. He agreed, finally, that Zexion would go with Rox, if only because the streets were dangerous, especially at this time of the morning. He didn't believe for even one second that Rox was a pickpocket or anything of that sort, but there would be people out there right now that were like that, some of them more ruthless and desperate than others. And this kid didn't have much street experience...

So it was settled. Rox wasn't too happy about it, and neither was Zexion, but of the two, Zexion was the more satisfied. When Rox excused himself to find the bathroom, grumbling slightly on the way, Lexaeus turned to his old friend and sighed.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Of course," the man replied casually. "I have to make sure you're not being cheated. Somebody's got to look out for a big dumb lug like you."

Lexaeus smiled softly. "Thanks...but I know your real reason for leaving."

Zexion looked uninterested. "Oh?"

The smile grew slightly. "You want to leave this place too."

It was true, Twilight Town was never a perfect place to live, but these days it had become wild and dangerous. Mostly due to the recent changes in government and policy. Most people that lived here now hated it and wanted out, but only so many lucky people could. And those lucky people had money to spare that others didn't.

Zexion scoffed at him lightly, moving to leave the room.

"Don't be ridiculous."

Once outside the bar, Lexaeus bid farewell to the both of them. The sky was still very dark, and the snow had begun to fall again.

"You'll want to look for him at the old mansion. I don't know his line of work, but I've heard from some of my customers that he hangs around that place most of the time."

Rox nodded. "I will...and thank you again for everything..."

With his unhappy companion tailing close behind, and the little dog following right at his heels, Rox turned onto the road and started walking.


	6. 4

"Dear God," Axel muttered under his breath, marking another 'X' on the long list of auditioners in his lap, "Where are these people coming from?"

Well, the rumors he had started around town was a good guess. But not for why so many _strange _people were coming in. The last one was a character named Zell, and boy, that was something Axel never wanted to see again. That man had to be one of the most insane people he ever had the displeasure of meeting.

"Next," Demyx called from his seat next to them. As the next person strutted on to the stage and began preparing, the blonde turned toward his friend and whispered, "What do you think of this one?"

The redhead looked up for just a moment, and then turned, deadpanned. "That's a woman, Demyx."

"Waaaah? How can you tell?"

"Can you not see the large, gelatinous extensions protruding from the chest?" Axel whispered back, his annoyance rising. Demyx looked back up on the small stage, squinted slightly, and then made a small "oh" noise. He gave the woman a kind, somewhat sheepish smile.

"Excuse me, Miss, but we're looking for a boy."

"Oh!" she cried. "I'm sorry! I heard the rumor was that you were looking for blondes?"

"Yes, but we're asking for boys, ma'am."

With a few more embarrassed apologies, the woman wandered back off the stage. Axel sighed loudly, raising the clipboard back onto the desk and smashing his face into it in frusrtaion.

"We're never going to find a good 'Roxas'!"

Demyx looked over at him sadly.

"Have you ever thought you're just being a bit picky, Axel?" It was true. With all their auditioners, he had comments like, "It's not that shade of blonde," or, "The eyes just aren't blue enough." They could tell right away if a boy was too tall, but where his friend was getting these other little details, Demyx had no idea.

"You don't understand! This has to _really_ look like him! If Cloud finds even the smallest detail that we forgot, he'd never trust me again! This is a once in a life time opportunity, and it's entirely hit or miss!"

Demyx sighed again.

"Well, you seem sure. I'll trust you on that. Why don't we dismiss the others and go home for the night, eh?" His friend quickly agreed, so they closed up the little space and sent everyone away. It was almost dawn by the time they returned to the mansion, and both men were too tired to even think about where they would go from there. They crashed onto their respective beds and were out like lights instantly, unaware that what they might be looking for was coming their way.

Then, a crash.

"D-Dem..." the redhead mumbled, his mind still addled from sleep. "Did you hear something?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Ow..." Rox sat up and rubbed his back slightly, wincing from the soreness. The wood nailed to the door of the mansion had been nailed on there hard. Yanking at it as best he could, he'd been sent flying backwards and hit the cold stone floor.

Zexion looked from the newly-revealed door back to him, his face skeptic.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes," the blonde growled, pushing himself up and dusting himself off. "Lexaeus said that this is where I can find Axel." Not to mention, as soon as Sora had found a gap in the shoddy, decaying wood, he had slipped through the hole and run off somewhere inside the mansion. Zexion rolled his eyes.

"You do know that was a rumor, right? For all we know, no one has lived here in over ten years."

Rox ignored him, pulling off more of the splintery wood and stepping inside. The front hall was enormous; the floor was made of a polished wood, and there was even some furniture scattered around. A small table and chair were covered in white sheets, and another chair closer to the staircase lay at the bottom of it, turned over. Looking at it closely, Rox noticed that one of the legs was missing. He turned away from that and kept walking, slowly, past the grand staircase and into another hall on his right. There were large windows all lining the right side of the wall in that room, though the dusty curtains were drawn, making the room look dark and almost foreboding.

Rox wandered over to the curtains and moved one aside with his hand, and was instantly consumed in a coughing fit. A huge cloud of dust had been stirred up by the movement, and the boy took a step back, watching it pass as he covered his mouth and nose with one hand.

"This place is so dusty."

Zexion was ambling along the other side of the room, looking at the long table and all the little things that had been left sitting on it. It was strange to see so much silver lying out, when the rioters had looted the place years ago.

"Like I said," he replied impatiently, "No one has lived here in years. It's been empty since the siege."

Rox turned and looked at him curiously. "What was the siege about? I heard about it at the orphanage, but they never..."

Zexion shrugged. "People weren't too pleased with how the Strifes were ruling this town. I don't know what sparked it all; I was still a boy at the time. But a bunch of angry towns people came here and killed everyone inside. Or at least, they killed all the nobles."

For some reason unknown to him, Rox shuddered. Something about that story was really disturbing. They didn't like the way things were being run, so they _killed _the entire family? Everyone meant the women and children as well. What had _they_ done to deserve that?

Rox shook his head. That was a terrible thought. But it wasn't his business anyway.

He came over to the other man's side, looking at the tables and a few of the mirrors on the wall. His reflexion was covered by dust, so he wiped away some of it and looked into the long mirror curiously. For a split second his own reflexion disappeared, and he saw a man with short, dark brown hair dancing with a little red-headed girl, both of whom were dressed in elegant finery and were spinning in the middle of a crowd of people.

"Huh?" Just as he drew back, looking nervously at the mirror, the image vanished instantly. His heart was still pounding a little when Zexion gave him a strange look.

"What?"

Rox frowned. "What do you mean, what? Didn't you see the-"

He looked at the mirror again, as if expecting the image to reappear. But nothing did. Zexion huffed impatiently.

"What are you going on about now? One minute, you're just standing there, and the next, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"A ghost..." the blonde breathed softly, his eyes still fixed on the mirror. "Yeah...maybe..."

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes and turned away. "I'm going in to see the grand ballroom."

Still watching the mirror warily as he left, Rox followed behind him, finally turning and gasping when the large doors were pulled open the biggest room he had ever seen was revealed.

"Wow..." he murmured, stepping in to the room in front of Zexion and looking around slowly. There were windows all around this room, all of them without curtain or shade and thus open to the world. There was a bit of light in the room because of them, and Rox looked down to see that the dance floor was painted with beautiful, flowery designs. "This place is huge!"

"Of course," Zexion said matter-of-factly. "It's the _grand _ballroom. It has to be big to fit a lot of people."

But Rox wasn't listening anymore. He walked forward, as if entranced, and kept going until he had reached the middle of the floor. Forgetting about his companion watching, Rox closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His ears began to fill slowly with music, a slow, but beautiful waltz. And, when he opened them again, before his eyes were hundreds of ghostly figures, all of them dressed in vibrant colors and practically glowing in the light.

The boy looked around him, confused and more than a little frightened, but the 'ghosts' made no move to touch him at first. They merely danced around him, the music picking up slowly as he turned around. Looking up towards the throne, Rox saw several smiling faces looking at him. A boy with brown hair was giving him a goofy grin and waving; a woman with braided hair, similar in color to the boys, was smiling at him with kind, knowing eyes.

As he turned again, he started, feeling a sudden pressure on his back. He looked back to see that same red-headed girl he thought he had seen before, her arms around his neck and hanging off his back, while she spoke words that he couldn't hear or understand. It was like the girl was speaking through a filter, or water; he could see her lips moving, but heard nothing from them.

Rox looked for Zexion in the crowd, imagining him to be awestruck as well, but when he finally found him, he was looking at only Rox. His expression was confused, maybe even a little worried, but he didn't seem to be taking notice of the ghostly figures. The blonde opened his mouth to call to him, ask, "Can't you see this?" But then...

The crowd stopped dancing. The girl slid slowly off his shoulder and backed away with the crowd, her head bowed slightly. Rox looked around himself nervously, not knowing what to do, when he saw the man with short, dark brown hair walking towards him purposely.

He knew that, somehow, this man was important. Everyone around him was bowing, and the man seemed to carry himself with such confidence. Rox wondered if he should bow too, to show his proper respect, but glancing around at the girl and the crowd gave him no answers. The man finally reached him and stopped just barely a foot away, looking down at him with firm, but kind eyes. Rox knew his mouth was hanging open slightly, and he quickly closed it, moving awkwardly into a kneel and quick bow, hoping that would suffice. He heard a soft chuckle, one that was somehow familiar, and a voice, muffled by that unseen filter.

_"You've grown up..."_

Rox looked up just in time to see the man kneel down in front of him as well. He felt a cool, ghostly hand brush his cheek, tilting his chin up so he could look the man in the eye. Rox blinked. Those eyes, that kind smile, that hair...He recognized that face from somewhere. He just knew it. But what was his name?

_"You will always be my son..."_

The boy didn't have long to wonder at the words because within seconds, he was hit with an ear-splitting headache. His head began to throb painfully, and those words were forgotten as the smiling man and the ghostly crowd all vanished. Rox clutched his head desperately and cried out, feeling like his head was about to explode.

At one point, he vaguely felt a hand on his shoulder, but he tried to shrug it off. The pain was too much.

"What the hell happened?" _Zexion..._ he slowly realized. That was who was shaking him.

"I...I don't know..." he whimpered, feeling his consciousness slipping a bit. "Hurts..."

"What hurts?"

Rox groaned miserably. "My...My head..."

Meanwhile, Zexion was trying to figure out what was going on. One minute, he had seen the boy stride into the room, ignoring him, and the next, he began looking around frantically, like he was seeing something that Zexion wasn't. He didn't respond any more after that, and now he looked like he would pass out at any time. The boy was white as a sheet now, and Zexion could see a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead already.

The dark-haired man just glared down at him in frustration. He had no idea what to do.

"Hey!"

Zexion turned and looked up the staircase in surprise. That horrible little dog was barking, bounding down the stairs toward them, and just behind him, two strange men. The one with red hair didn't look too pleased at all by their intrusion.

"What are you doing here?"

Rox looked up from his crouch, pain and tears beginning to prickle in his eyes. The horrible, throbbing headache was subsiding a little, as he focused on the approaching figures, so he took the chance to get a good look at them. They were both tall; one had red, spiky, gravity defying hair more than his own, and the other looked to be a blonde with his hair straight and sticking up straight in some places. The redhead had flashing green eyes and he looked a bit annoyed, like he had woken up from a nice nap to come see what this was all about. The other man was looking down at him worriedly, before his eyes moved to Zexion and widened a bit. The two men stopped about a foot or two away from them, figuring the intruders couldn't run at this point. The redhead looked down at him sternly for a moment.

"How the hell did you get in...here...?"

Rox had no idea what he was looking at that suddenly changed his face from angry to surprised so quickly, but he couldn't imagine it was _himself. _He didn't look all that impressive at all. Granted, he was still crying a bit, but that was no excuse. The redhead was just staring down at him, gaping like an idiot, and after a few minutes of that in silence, Rox was ready to snap at him or slap him in the face. What the hell was he seeing that he had to stare like that? It made Rox feel uncomfortable. He could feel a light blush in his cheeks already, so he spoke up.

"What?"

The redhead shook his head for a moment, like he was clearing it. The blonde beside him looked at him worriedly.

"Axel?" he asked. "Are you..."

Axel wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him closer, the force and quickness of it making the blonde let out a small, awkward gasp. Having pulled his friend closer, the redhead began whispering in his ear, just loud enough for Rox to hear.

"Dem, do you see what I see?"

The blonde looked down at Rox oddly for a moment, making the boy feel even more uncomfortable, before shaking his head.

"No...why?"

Axel sighed heavily and shook his head, almost throwing the other man off of him. "Fine...I'll show you." He then reached forward with lightening speed and grabbed Rox's right arm, making the boy blink. "Come with me." Just as quickly, he took off running, dragging the bewildered, flustered boy behind him.

"H-Hey! Wait! What the hell are you-"

The blonde boy followed behind them, and Zexion, who had no idea what to make of the situation, scowled at the leaving party before he moved to follow them. He shouted to the blonde closer to him, "What the hell are you two doing?"

Said blonde looked back at him and shook his head. "I have no idea! He's the one with the plan!"

They followed Axel and Rox down a hall until they finally stopped in front of a large portrait. As soon as he was let go, Rox leaned forward on his knees and panted heavily, glaring at the man sideways.

"What...was that...all...about?"

But Axel was busy looking at the painting. As soon as the other blonde showed up, the redhead grabbed his face and turned it toward the portrait.

"Take a good look, Demyx. You good?" Demyx nodded dumbly, and Axel quickly brought his head around to look at Rox, before releasing it. "Now, look at him."

Demyx blinked down at him, then the portrait, then back at him. He gasped.

"My god...he's...he's perfect!"

Axel smirked. "I know."

Rox raised an eyebrow, standing back up straight.

"What am I per-feeeeh!" Demyx quickly threw his arms around the boy's neck and was hugging tightly, swinging him from side to side as he struggled.

"Awwww, he's so cute! And he looks just like him! This might work, Axel! This really might work!"

The redhead was smirking triumphantly, but he stepped in and pulled the boy out of his arms, setting him on his feet, where he swayed slightly.

"It won't work if you break him, Dem..."

The blonde nodded, laughing sheepishly. "Sorry about that...um?"

"Rox," the other blonde breathed, brushing his clothes off and giving them both an irritated look. "It's Rox. And don't you think you should _ask_ me first before you start making plans for _my_ future?"

"Rox, huh?" Axel looked even more pleased. "Is that short for anything, or...?"

The younger blonde lowered his head, letting out a heavy sigh before he muttered, "...Roxy.."

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Don't ask me!" he growled, looking at the amused redhead with absolute loathing. "That's what the people at the orphanage called me! I can't help it!" After a short pause, he added, more calmly, "I prefer it when people call me Rox. It sounds...a bit better..."

If possible, the redhead looked even more interested now. Though there was a glint in his eyes that Rox didn't like or trust. He looked over at Zexion for support, but found the man just watching the whole thing unfold with a look of suppressed interest. At least he wasn't scowling anymore.

"So, how long were you in an orphanage?"

Rox paused at that. Would it harm him anymore now to just answer this man's questions?

"Well...I've been there for so long. Almost longer than I can remember." After some further encouraging from Demyx, he continued. "I was nine years old when they brought me in. Vincent found me wandering in the cold streets, so he took me there and fed me, gave me a place to sleep. It wasn't much, but it was better than where I'd been."

"And, uh...before that?" Axel pushed, leaning closer to him. "Before you were-"

"I don't remember," the boy immediately answered. "I know it sounds weird but, but I can't remember anything from before that time. The only clue I have is Destiny Islands."

"Destiny Islands?"

"Yes," he replied calmly, a soft smile playing on his lips as he thought about it. "I believe that might be where my family is." Looking up to Axel, he added uncertainly, "I heard you were the man to see about that?"

Axel's smirk widened. _This'll be too easy..._


	7. 5

Well, here's another one. I kind of like starting some chapters of with some letter of some kind, just to show the times and circumstances a little better. I dunno, do you guys think it works? Any other ideas, or how to improve it maybe? Please and thanx. Your support keeps me going :)

* * *

_Hey, Dem. _

_Haven't heard from you in a while. Any luck finding that job in Hollow Bastion? I heard the economy's been pretty rough there too._

_Listen, if you're still looking for some fast cash, I've got a deal I want to talk to you about. And don't put this down until you hear me out! It's gonna sound bad, I know, but trust me, this is our best chance. _

_I saw that old notice yesterday. The one about the prince who's still out there looking for his brother. It's still up and in effect. I got to thinking about that, and this awesome idea just popped into my head. There are a ton of blondes in this area. I figure one of them has to look enough like Cloud that he could pass for Roxas. If we could find a boy and dress him up, teach him what to say, we could get more money than we've ever dreamed of! There's enough for the both of us to be happy and set for the rest of our days. It's better than any job out there._

_So what do you say? Are you interested? Please send me back a letter and tell me what you think. I'm living in the old Twilight Town mansion, so you can also look me up there. Yes, I'm a pathetic waste of space. Yes, I don't have a job right now. Life sucks in this new, monarch-free town. Hope things on your end are a bit better than they are on mine._

_Signed, Axel _

_Date unknown. Follow-up letter never recovered. Estimated date early October, 1927_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Axel sauntered over to the boy, trying to play it casual as he hinted the idea.

"Well, as it turns out, Demyx and I are going to Destiny Islands ourselves."

Rox's eyes widened slightly, and Axel could see the hope brimming in them. "Really?"

"Yep. And it just so happens," he started, reaching behind him into his pants pockets and pulling out the tickets, moving to then wave them in the blonde boy's face, "that we have one or two extra tickets."

Demyx looked at his partner curiously. "But Axel, why don't you just tell him about the -"

The redhead slapped a hand over his mouth, giving Rox an encouraging smile. "Ignore him. Anyway, as I was saying, I do have these tickets here-"

"Great," the boy said excitedly. He looked like he was about to make a grab for them. "So, can I-"

"Well, you see," Axel said smoothly, pulling them out of his reach at just the last second and holding them teasingly high over his head, "I'd love to help out, but these are actually for Roxas."

"Roxas? As in the prince who disappeared and was never seen again?" Zexion asked incredulously. Rox looked from him to Axel, a little bewildered. "You've found him?"

"We're going to reunite the prince with his brother, who now lives in Destiny Islands. So, as much as I'd like to help," the redhead said, looking down at the blonde slyly, "I'm afraid we don't have any to spare."

Zexion raised his skeptical eyebrow. "Why do you have an extra two tickets if you only need one? Can't you give him that?"

"No," the redhead replied quickly. "Sorry. Can't. Love to, but can't."

Rox looked a bit forlorn at this point. What was the point of telling him about the tickets if he couldn't have them anyway?

Sighing heavily, the blonde turned slowly away from everyone, ready to leave down the hall.

"Well, thank you anyway...I guess. I suppose I'd better go back and-"

"Wait, wait! Hold on a second!" Axel dashed forward and stopped him. Gently taking the blonde's face in his hands, much to the boy's surprise, Axel made a point of looking over the details again, still giving him that sly, almost knowing smile.

"We haven't actually found Roxas yet..." When Rox and Zexion stared at him blankly, the latter looking far less amused, he added to the former, "You could be him, you know."

Rox blinked. "Me?" He pushed the redhead back and away shaking his head. "No, no. I couldn't be him. It wouldn't make any sense."

Axel frowned. "And why not? Have you looked at yourself recently? Look here!" Grabbing his face again, a lot less gently this time, he pushed the blonde up against the wall where the portrait hung. Wiping a bit more dust off of it, Axel added, "Take a look. He's the short blonde kid with the spiky hair, like yours."

Rox huffed, frowning deeply as he pushed the man away again. But he obeyed silently, studying the portrait intently for several minutes. It was full of elegant people, all dressed up and all sitting in small, wooden chairs in a large, red room, their expressions rather solemn. He thought he recognized one or two of them, but it must have been his imagination. Or perhaps he had seen them in a newspaper somewhere. That was more than likely...

There were only two exceptions that were actually smiling; two young boys on the right side of the group that looked like they were cracking up about something. One boy had soft, brown hair, and the other was...

Rox blinked at the blonde boy in the painting. He couldn't deny that he _did _look a bit like him; in fact, the resemblance was uncanny...But it couldn't be. The boy shook his head, trying to banish the thought. Him, a prince? The notion was laughable. He was an _orphan_; he slept on damp floors, ate moldy bread and cheese, was even beaten occasionally by the mistress, and these men wanted him to believe he was royalty? Ridiculous! Not even in his wildest dreams could he wish for something like that.

Still...He couldn't deny that he felt something when he looked at the portrait...

Here was a family. A very big one, or at least it _had_ been, but it was obviously a family. Rox didn't want to admit he was getting his hopes up thinking about it, but he felt a tiny flutter of hope thinking that maybe, just _maybe,_ it was _his_ family. He looked over more of the people in the painting and found a taller boy with hair similar to his. The one who had survived out of all of them; he remembered reading about it somewhere or other.

_His name is Cloud, I think._

Cloud. It made him sad; that such nice-looking people, many of them young, were killed in such a terrible way. And he had survived, and was still the only known survivor. That young man was probably much older and sadder now, still holding on to the hope that his brother was out there somewhere. Even when the rest of the world had forgotten and moved on, he was trying to find his family too...

"Hey, kid?"

Rox blinked, realizing that he'd begun to tear up. He quickly rubbed his eyes, making sure they were completely clear before looking back at the curious redhead and sympathetic blonde beside him. Zexion didn't look like he cared one way or another what he did, and Sora just appeared to be chasing his tail down around his legs, oblivious to his new master's inner turmoil. Rox sighed, relenting.

"I suppose...it's possible. I don't remember it, but I..."

Axel stepped up to him, as he flicked a lock of golden hair sticking out atop Rox's head. "You've got Cloud's hair."

"And Aerith's eyes!" Demyx added helpfully.

"Yeah! They're as piercing and blue as any Strife's eyes! No doubt about it!"

Rox looked between them strangely. There was something a bit suspicious about how they pushed him to do this. But even if he did think it was possible, if they were wrong...did he really want to cling to such a vague hope? Or face the disappointment it would bring?

The boy shook his head. "I think you're both crazy."

The redhead sighed loudly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, kid, I know this is a lot to think about, but you said it yourself. You don't remember what happened to you, and no one knows what happened to _him. _Why not take the chance? What's the worst it could do?"

Rox thought about it, and he could see a _number _of bad outcomes from going with them. A bit of that was just personal paranoia, but still...

Axel continued. "Either way, it'll get you to Destiny Islands."

Well, that just about settled it for him. He could think about possibly being royalty when the time came, but for now, this was a free ticket to Destiny Islands. It was his best hope. If these guys were simply playing him, he'd just use them back and ditch them when he reached the islands. Nodding to himself, Rox ran a finger over the bracelet on his wrist.

_Here goes..._

"Alright," he said, smiling a little. He bent down and picked Sora up in his arms, scratching the little dogs head fondly. "We'll go."

"Yay!" Rox soon found himself in a crushing hug. The older blonde boy squeezed him tightly, holding him so close to his chest that he almost couldn't breathe. Sora yelped and growled at the unwanted pressure, but all he could do was squirm in Rox's arms, as the smaller blonde gasped for air.

"Don't kill him, Demyx," Axel said casually, his attention turning to the dark-haired man still leaning against the wall. "And what about you?"

Demyx let go of his prey, both of who coughed and choked for a moment, and he looked at the other boy curiously. Zexion shook his head and smiled slightly.

"I'm following this kid for the long haul." And that was true. Partially. He knew the kid's ticket out of here would be _his _ticket out of here. He could make a fresh start in Destiny Islands, maybe find a job and-

"Yay!" Demyx charged forward, ready to envelope him in a crushing hug as well. The dark-haired boy stepped back slightly, firmly stopping him with a hand. "No, not me."

The blonde looked a little down at that, but he quickly cheered up. They'd have plenty of time to get to know each other on the trip. With that, Demyx smiled a big, goofy smile, making Zexion blink and frown at him.

"What's this idiot smiling about?"

"He does that. A lot." Axel threw in unhelpfully. He didn't look too happy about bringing a dog along with them. He turned to Rox, grimacing at the afore-mentioned animal.

"Any chance we can ditch the dog?"

Rox frowned. "No. Why? What's the problem?"

"I'm kind of allergic..."

The blonde shook his head defiantly. "Tough. We couldn't keep pets at the orphanage. This dog is mine, and I'm keeping him." Rox even gave him a little pout, his eyes challenging him to argue. Axel looked at a loss for what to do. He hadn't even known this kid long, and he could already tell he'd have trouble resisting. The look was cute on him, but still so enfuriating.

Finally, he sighed. "Fine."

This was going to be a long, long trip...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, not too far away in the forest, a young man was slipping silently through the snow, heading toward the old, frozen lake. The man had long silvery hair; it had grown several inches longer in his time in hiding. He had grown fairly tall as well, with wiry muscles lining his arms and upper torso. His piercing, icy eyes were much more determined and cold now, where they had once been soft and curious as a boy. They gazed purposely forward as he quickly made his way to the edge of the water, stopping just before the plunge.

He couldn't believe it, but there it had been, practically smacking him across the face with its mocking. His master wouldn't like this at all...

"Lord Ansem," he called out, looking down at the frozen, glassy surface. In a mere moment, an image of the man appeared there, as if reflected in a mirror before him. Equally cold eyes gazed back at him, his expression tired and irritable.

"What is it? Why must you bother me now?"

Riku rolled his eyes, feeling no sympathy.

"Oh, please. If you haven't moved on on your own by now, then you never will. Besides, I have a feeling I know what keeps you tethered here." According to the spell his master had cast, his soul was to be given up in exchange for the murder of the Strife family. It would forever belong to the dark forces of Hell, but still, the man had cast the spell. For Ansem, the misery and humiliation he had suffered at that family's hands more than warranted his actions and their consequences, and an eternity of servitude to the Devil himself didn't seem to worry him in the least. But even after most of the Strifes lay dead and buried, his soul was not taken. Nor did he simply find rest...

The old blonde looked a bit more curious, but his expression remained hard. "Oh? And what would a boy know that a master of magic would not?"

"True enough. But I dwell among the living. I have seen things you cannot." It would take a bit more time to remove Ansem from the ice. He had been working on it all these years, having to do something while he awaited the taking of his soul, and now he was very close to escaping. But he still relied upon Riku for information about the times. They were ever-changing, after all...

"Then tell me, _wise one," _the man sneered. "What could be so important that you had to interrupt my work?"

Riku chuckled darkly. "It's your spell, Master. Fine work. Another one seems to have slipped through your net."

Ansem's eyes widened. "No. It can't be...Which one?"

Somehow, Riku had a feeling he already knew the answer to that.

"Roxas."


	8. 6

Well, here it is! Another one, hot off the press this morning. Big reveal at the end. I doubt you guys were expecting me to throw _that _at you :)

* * *

Riku watched with little interest as his master paced back and forth in the snow. His rage at the situation had fueled him to work hard, faster; now he was free of the once enchanted ice, fuming greatly as he took his first steps on solid land in ten years.

"This was not supposed to happen. He should have been..." With another loud growl, he yelled, "How is that whelp still alive?"

The younger man shrugged his shoulders casually. "Cloud survived, didn't he? Maybe you forgot an incantation in the spell, or maybe the Lord of Darkness is just enjoying messing with you."

Ansem sneered at him. "You know, you could be a little more invested in this. Until my revenge is complete, you are still bound to my service."

"True enough. Though with the current state of the world, I'm not in that much of a hurry to be free." In truth, he was curious to see the extent of Ansem's power. Was this flimsy spell really the best he could do, or was there something more? He would see, depending on what the man chose to do about Roxas. And who knew? Perhaps there was some power he could gain as well...

"If it had only been Cloud, I wouldn't bother. A lifetime of loneliness and regret would be much crueler than any death I could ever wish upon him, so I was content to leave him be. But now that Roxas has entered the picture..." The old blonde stopped pacing and put a hand to his chin in deep thought. "Things will have to change. I cannot leave things as they are."

Riku looked up at him, a spark of interest flashing in his eyes.

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

Ansem smirked to himself.

"You will see."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The train station was heavily crowded that day. Rox was surprised to find so many people leaving town, knowing that ticket prices were so high. Even then, if people did manage to get out somehow, he wondered where they would all go. What sort of new places would they see?

"Earth to Rox!"

"Ow!" The blonde groaned and rubbed his shoulder, glaring up at Axel menacingly. Sure, he was staring off, but that didn't mean the man could just slap him like that! Wasn't he supposed to be royalty?

"You're spacing out, kid." Axel seemed oblivious to the fact that he was angry. Grinning down at him, the redhead grabbed his wrist and began pulling him towards the farthest car. "Come on. Demyx and Zexion already left without us."

"Alright! Alright!" the boy snapped, tugging his wrist away. "I can walk just fine on my own, thanks. And stop calling me kid!"

Axel chuckled. "Fat chance." He then turned away and began walking to the their car. The train was not all that big; it only had about 4 or 5 cars between the engine and the caboose, the latter end being used as the baggage car on this trip. It was one of the smallest trains in the whole station overall, but then again, not many people were heading to Port Royal anyway. Demyx had told them all before; it would them through Land of Dragons and then Enchanted Dominion before they finally reached the ship. From there, it was just about a week's journey to Destiny Islands...

Passing the other trains and seeing them loading on people and bags, Rox couldn't help but stare around in poorly suppressed wonder. Even though it was cloudy and supposed to snow soon, it was so big and cool. Living the poor, sheltered life that he had, this was the grandest place, aside from the mansion, of course, that he'd ever seen in his life.

"Come on." Once they reached the steps, Axel made an exaggerated, sweeping bow. "After you, Highness."

Rox scoffed a little at that, an unwilling smile tugging at his lips. He rolled his eyes and dipped into a slight curtsy, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Why thank you, sir." He then ascended the steps, thrusting his shoulders back and swaying his hips slightly, trying to look important. Axel chuckled, following after.

"You know, that's not how royalty walks." As they reached their own little room on the train, Axel stopped him, placing his hands on his shoulders and pushing slightly. "You have to hold yourself high, like the rest of the world should be looking up at you, not the other way around."

Rox ignored his own light blush, not wanting to admit that those hands felt nice. Maybe the man wasn't so bad after all...

He still gave Axel a deadpanned look over his shoulder, though.

"That's easy for you to say. You're tall. How am I supposed to look down at you when you beat me by a full foot?"

The redhead chuckled again. "It's not the height that makes you regal, Roxy. You just have to know how to carry yourself, and how to act. Demyx and I will teach you as we go. You have plenty of time to learn."

The blonde frowned at him. "Did you just call me 'Roxy'?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Oh, nothing. Just tell me this, Axel." Rox turned to face him and smiled seductively, fluttering his eyelashes ever so slightly. He saw the redhead visibly gulp at the look and smiled wider.

"Y-Yes?"

He leaned in closer, almost pressing himself against the man's chest. He felt Axel shiver slightly, as he ran the index and middle finger of his right hand up the man's shoulder.

"You think I'm royalty?"

"Of course I do, kid." He could see Axel leaning down ever so slightly. Rox gave him a even more sultry smile, laying it on way too thick.

"You know what that means I can do?" he asked breathily, his lips mere inches from Axel's, his hand trailing up to tangle lightly in bright red spikes.

"Y-Yeah..."

Rox grinned slyly.

"It means I could kill you if you _ever _call me that again." With a sharp tug, he pulled at Axel's hair, then brought his knee up to damage a very sensitive area, causing the man to yelp loudly. Just before he began to really struggle, Rox released him, shoving him hard to the wall of the car before he turned up his nose and walked away, slamming the door behind him with a faint mutter of "asshole."

He hated his name with a burning passion.

Axel growled, rubbing his poor head and wincing, as he glared at the door.

"Damn, he's strong for a squirt," he mumbled. He'd have to get back at him somehow. His smashed balls demanded justice!

The next thing he knew, Axel heard Demyx's familiar laugh coming down the corridor. Said blonde leaned against the wall nearby, laughing at him, while Zexion stood just behind, a small smile working on his face as well.

"Boy, he got you good, Axel!" The laughing almost seemed to be overwhelming him. Axel blushed darkly at the idea that he'd just been caught flirting, not to mention being made a fool of. "I like this kid already! I like him a lot!"

Axel stormed over and grabbed him by the shirt front, not liking how his threatening glare was being completely ignored.

"Shut up. Shut that god damn mouth of yours now before I find something that'll shut it for you."

"Aw, Axel! You don't have to be embarrassed!" the other boy said gleefully. "That was really cute!"

"_Cute?" _No way. Not in a million years would that little brat ever be considered cute. And neither was he. He was a man, damn it!

"He's _not_ cute! Got it memorized? That brat's temper is not. cute. _at. all_!" he snarled, shoving Demyx away. The blonde seemed to be containing his laughs now, if only just barely. His face kept cracking up like he wanted to burst out again, but he didn't. Just as Axel huffed loudly, Zexion stepped forward, walking past Axel toward the door.

"I'm liking this kid more already." With that, he went inside, shutting the door immediately behind him.

Axel turned back to his giggling, idiot friend, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Where the hell did you two go?"

The blonde quieted down, though he was still smiling widely.

"Zexion's never been on a train before. I wanted to show him around a little." Then, bouncing slightly, he added as a side note, "This is so exciting, isn't it? We're all going to Destiny Islands!"

In the face of his childish joy, Axel's unwilling smile was slowly returning. Huffing a heavy sigh, he walked over to the blonde and patted his shoulder, moving so that he could look out the small window at the rest of the station. People were scuttling around quickly now, as one of the train whistles began to blow, and a short, portly man outside yelled the times of departure.

"Sometimes I wonder if you ever grew up."

Demyx scratched the back of his head sheepishly, not denying it. His smile still made Axel think of a kid at Christmas, which he guessed was okay, seeing as the holiday was right around the corner.

"Beats me. I just try to keep a positive outlook, you know?"

After a brief, but fairly comfortable silence between them, Demyx looked at him with solemn eyes. He looked a little worried.

"Do you really think this is gonna work, Ax?" Once they left this town, they would probably never go back. Rox was their only chance at this scheme, and if they failed at that, they'd have to find other jobs somewhere else somehow.

Axel nodded firmly. "Of course it will. It has to." _And that little bitch had better be worth it._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ansem and Riku returned to the mansion. After casting a spell to make sure no one was inside and to fend off any possible interference, the old man bade Riku to go to his study.

"You know the secret door. Go into my lab and begin preparing the seeing spell. I want to know where he is, so I can properly use his own resources against him."

The silver-haired boy did as he was told, leaving Ansem alone in the foyer. When he was gone, the man ascended the old, rickety staircase, heading for a room he once knew so well. It felt strange, returning after all these years. Even with the Strife's legacy almost completely wiped out, the feelings of bitterness and jealousy still rose inside him as he looked around. All of this had belonged to Zack at the height of his glory, and now it was worthless.

_Well, _he thought with a smirk, _I suppose he didn't always have _everything_..."_

At one time or another, something very precious to Zack had been _his, _and that alone was enough to give him satisfaction. He imagined the brunet looking down at him from above, glaring with pure hatred in the face of the truth. He must have known...

But there was one thing Ansem wanted to be absolutely sure of. He had guessed as much from the result of the spell, among other things, but only one source could tell him for sure. Thus resolved, Ansem entered the old, grand bedroom, casting a revealing spell.

"Bring it to me." In a flash of light, a journal was set in his hands. The Queen's journal.

_Now, where would she have written it? _He wondered, flipping it open and searching through the pages a couple years back._ Let's see..._

There it was on the page. Even in her elegant scrawl, Ansem could not have missed it if he tried. The proof he was searching for, and the reason the spell had not destroyed all of the Strifes. Because Cloud and Roxas were _not _pure-bred Strifes.

"Well, well. Isn't that interesting?" he hummed, smirking at this new development. "It appears I _do _have sons..."


	9. 7

_Once again, I am blessed with a beautiful, healthy boy. His eyes are deep blue like Sora's and mine, when I was younger and prettier than this. His hair is the color of wheat. It looks just like Cloud's when he was that age. Speaking of whom, my eldest has taken an interest in the baby right away. He loves to hold him and dote upon him as much as possible. Though it is very sweet, I must remind Cloud time and again not to spoil him._

_When I look at my darling Roxas, I can't help but be afraid somehow. I fear that __the vizier will come to know of his parentage and seek to use it against me. He may know, even now. I am sure he is suspicious of Cloud as it is. _

_It is my fault. I was so fickle; I could not begin to realize that man's power over me. I see it now, and though I could never regret my sweet, beautiful children, I regret that I did not escape him sooner. _

_Zack does not know. I mean to tell him soon, but I am afraid. Afraid that my word will not be as good as Ansem's, or that he may cast me out. I feel as though I deserve no less. But somehow I like to hope he will not. I have underestimated my dear husband's kindness before. But for now, __for the sake of the baby, I will keep silent. Cloud and Roxas look enough like Zack that few should be suspicious. It is only their hair that worries me, but perhaps Roxas's will darken in time. _

_My best hope is to leave all be for now and let Zack grow to love the boy as a son, as he did with Cloud. As I have said, my husband has a good, kind heart; perhaps if he loves them both, he will continue to do so even if he discovers that they are not his. I can only hope as much._

_Roxas's christening is next week. I pray that he won't cry too much, but so far he has been a very quiet child. He doesn't seem to cry much at all, and when he does, Cloud or I can calm him by simply holding him. He is so sweet and well-behaved, except when he is eating. I've never had a baby with such an appetite. _

_Even after everything that has happened, for all that I despise that man, I could never hate Roxas or Cloud. They are so dear to me, much dearer than even my on life. I will strive to love and protect them always._

_The rest of the entry is indiscernible. Date estimated __1911_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

"Would you stop playing with that damn dog?"

Rox looked up innocently from his seat, setting a disappointed Sora back down on his lap.

"Why? What's the problem?"

Axel rolled his eyes, grabbing the dog and moving to set him on the floor. He jumped back slightly when Sora decided he didn't like being held that way and tried to take a snap at him. The little brown dog hit the floor with a soft thud, growling up at him.

Rox frowned. "You don't have to be so mean to him."

"It's not proper etiquette! What the heck have I been trying to teach you?" the redhead growled, instantly looking to his partner for help. He quickly realized he wouldn't get it, though; Demyx looked to have passed out at some point since the train left the station. He was leaning heavily onto Zexion, snoring loudly with his mouth wide open, and the smaller man was looking decidedly uncomfortable with the whole situation. He was politely trying to push him off, but no matter what he tried, the blonde kept ending up on his shoulder again. Axel sighed.

"Rox, you need to pay attention. How am I supposed to teach you how to act if you won't listen to me?"

The blonde beside him folded his arms tightly across his chest and faced the window, rolling his eyes. He was all for finding out who he was, but if he _did _turn out to be a prince, the life style sounded pretty restricted and boring. Who exactly came up with all these rules in the first place?

"I _am _listening, believe me. I just wish you'd shut your yap."

Axel gave an indignant sputter. "That's a lot of thanks for the guy who's taking you to find your family!"

Rox just stared at the snowy countryside as it passed by outside the train.

"We don't even know if it _is _my family, Axel." Turning back to the older man, he gave a very tired look. "Can't I please just take a nap for just a little bit?"

The redhead scowled. "Fine! But when you wake up, you better be ready to work your ass off!"

Another roll of the eyes. "Yeah, yeah." The boy rested his chin on his hand, leaning against the windowsill as he curled up to go to sleep. In reality, he just wanted Axel to shut up for a little while, but either way, the peace was welcome. He felt as if he hadn't slept much in days...

Axel gave a dejected sigh, pushing up from his seat and mumbling something to Zexion about needing some fresh air. God, this kid was turning into a pain in the ass. He began to wonder if picking up the bratty orphan had been more trouble than it was worth.

_Don't forget the money, Axel. _A little voice inside him cooed. _A week tops, and it'll all be worth it._

Axel leaned against the wall outside the room and looked out the big, rectangular windows on the other side of the train. The world he was leaving behind was cold and unfeeling and stark white. It was different then the place he remembered growing up, but then again, this was the country. He'd been a city boy, and a servant in that mansion for so long. The world was still a cold, hard, lonely place, even with all the radiant colors Twilight Town used to be. To him, the colors had never really meant anything...

Axel reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet pouch. He loosened the tiny drawstring and dumped the contents onto his other palm, revealing a tiny sliver. He turned it over with his fingers, examining it absently, as he thought of the one shining face in all of Twilight Town that had ever made a difference to him.

"Roxas..."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hmmmm..." Ansem paced about his old study slowly, feeling a wave of nostalgia as he did so. Despite his hatred for Zack and the little he had given him, he had to thank the man for his meager workroom. If not for it, he might never have found what he needed to destroy him...

Riku sat on the edge of a table nearby, watching him carefully. Near the middle of the room was a cauldron full of liquid, and just visible beneath the fog and glassy surface, the image of a boy with blonde, wind-swept hair laying asleep on a train.

"How do you plan to do it?"

Ansem did not look up, but he knew what the boy meant. How was he to kill the boy, before he had the chance to reunite with his brother? The ghost of a smile began to twitch at the corner of his lips.

"It would be quite fun indeed to do the deed in person, but there are so many other ways available." Opening his old purple book of spells, he began flipping through the old musty pages. "Which would be the quickest? Or the most painful?"

"Would you like me to go, Master?" the silver-haired boy offered, crossing one leg over the other casually where he sat. "I could have it done nice and easy..."

Ansem shook his head dismissively.

"Either I do it myself, or my magic will do the trick. Then, depending on how I feel, I'll take care of Cloud as well."

He stopped flipping through the pages when he came to one that interested him. Eyes narrowing, his voice was one of soft amusement.

"This one might work. I'll send him spiraling to his death using that very train." He then began to read further, a cruel smirk playing at his lips. It was time to complete his revenge...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Axel stood in that spot for what felt like hours, watching the land go by as the train sped on. It wasn't for a while before he heard a man's voice coming from the far end of the car.

"Please be sure to have your tickets ready. All tickets should be stamped with the seal of approval and written in red ink."

_Red?_

Axel fished his own ticket from his pocket and looked down at it. Damn. It was blue, and not stamped at all. He hadn't heard anything about this when they went through security!

Cursing under his breath, the redhead went back inside the room where his companions were now all sleeping peacefully. Stepping carefully over the brown ball on the floor, Axel moved Demyx off of Zexion slightly and slapped his cheek.

"Dem...Dem! Wake up!"

"Huh?" The groggy blonde blinked at him wearily. "Hey, Ax. What's up?"

"We have to move to the baggage car. Sounds like our tickets just expired."

"Shit, really?" His partner sat up more quickly this time, moving to wake Zexion while Axel moved to Rox. He reached for the boy's shoulder and began to shake lightly, but he was so focused on the sleeping blonde's face, that he completely failed to see the jerk and swing of his right hand.

"Ow! Fuck it! Ow!"

Rox shot up awake, looking at the redhead worriedly for a moment.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. I'm just a very strange sleeper, and I..." He paused, seeming to realize that he'd struck Axel instead of some random stranger. His expression quickly became uncaring. "Oh, it's just you. Well, that's okay then."

Axel rubbed his bruised cheek, glaring at the younger boy. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Me?" the boy asked incredulously. "You're the one shaking people when they're trying to just get a little peace and quiet!"

The redhead groaned. "We don't have time for this! Just come on, would you?" Before Rox even had a chance to protest, Axel grabbed his hand and started pulling him off.

"Hey! Let go of me, you jerk!"

The two moved out into the hall, bickering all the way. Demyx chuckled slightly at that, leaning down to pick up the now slowly waking puppy, resting him gently in his arms.

"They certainly make an odd pair, don't they?"

Zexion rolled his eyes irritably. He was not the type to enjoy being woken up to stupid arguing.

"Would the conductor be terribly opposed to me throwing those two idiots out of the train?"

Demyx laughed sheepishly. "Probably not. Especially not now that our tickets are void..."

The purple-haired man glared at him then. "What?"

"Ahehe...Well, funny story about that actually..."

They both stopped with the train gave a violent jolt to the side. Zexion yelped and grabbed ahold of a bar beside the seats, while Demyx almost went flying into the window. He managed to land on his side on the floor instead, but even as the train kept moving at normal speed, they knew that jerk couldn't have been a normal bump on the ride. Sora squirmed out of Demyx's arms and began to bark and growl at the door, even jumping up and scratching his little paws on it.

The blonde looked up at his friend nervously, as they listened for any sound that would give away the problem. Screams, crashes, anything...

"What the hell is going on here?"


	10. 8

After the initial shake, the train proceeded to undergo mild shock waves in the course of the next five minutes. Granted, Zexion and Demyx were able to get up and move about, but the constant shaking made those tasks a challenge. How Axel and Rox had managed to get so far ahead of them was a mystery, and the fact that the train was dead silent beyond the occasional screeching from the tracks and the reoccurring shakes was unsettling. Zexion cursed as he stepped out of yet another passenger room, meeting Demyx mid-way down the hall.

"No good. I can't find anyone."

"Me neither," Demyx said worriedly. "No conductors, no passengers, no one." Then, a bit more fearfully, the blonde added, "What do you think happened to them?"

Zexion scowled at him. "I have no clue. It just makes no sense! I know I heard people outside our door just before Axel and Rox left!"

"We haven't seen them either. Maybe we should go look for them. You know, make sure they're alright?"

"I agree." The dark-haired boy looked over at one of the windows, blinking briefly as he thought he caught a glimpse of something, glowing faintly green. Before he could double take, he caught sight of Demyx looking at him, confused, and shook it off. The stress of this whole situation must have been getting to him.

"I think they were headed toward the baggage car."

Not a minute earlier:

Elsewhere, Axel tugged Rox into the baggage car and quickly closed the door behind them, looking much more relieved now that they were away from ticket checkers. Rox, still unaware of all this, glanced around at his new surroundings, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"Okay, so...what are we doing in here again?"

The redhead flashed a grin at his companion, working his charm. "Well, kid-"

"Don't you mean 'Your Highness'?" the boy said flatly, raising an eyebrow.

"Highness, yes," Axel groaned softly, so that it was barely audible. It was gone in a second. "I didn't want you to have to mingle with all those _lowly commoners."_

Rox snorted at that. "What, lower than you?" He managed to ignore it when the man gave him a small glare. Looking more around the room with disdain, the blonde drew his hands up and clasped them to his arm, rubbing them as he shivered lightly. "You've got to be kidding me. It's freezing in here!"

"Oh, stop being such a drama queen!" Axel was at his side in seconds, shrugging out of his coat gruffly before dumping it onto his shoulders. "There! Now you cope with it!"

"Axel, it's gotta be negative five degrees in here!" the boy protested. "You'll freeze! Take this back!"

"I don't need it! You-"

Just then, the train shook. Rox stumbled in his step to return the coat, and Axel, by pure instinct, moved to catch him. The two managed to stay on their feet until the wave subsided, and Rox looked up from where his face had been pressed to Axel's chest, the redhead meeting his gaze, equally dumbfounded.

"What just happened?"

"How the hell should I know?" Axel growled, pushing away from the boy and brooding slightly. Each turned away from the other briefly, so consumed by the troubling shake and their own thoughts that neither noticed the other blushing ever so slightly.

In the end, they both brushed it off as a result of the cold.

Finally, after another minute of frustration, Rox hushed him softly, before firmly deciding they had to leave the car. Something had to be wrong with the train.

"Axel, we-"

"Shhhhh!" the redhead hissed at him, before turning back to face the door.

Rox stuttered indignantly for a moment, then strode over to the taller man, hands firmly resting on his hips. "Did you just tell me to-"

"Shhhh! Yes, I did! Now be quiet! I'm listening!"

The blonde made a small "harumph," but stifled his annoyance. He waited, listening as well, trying to understand what Axel was waiting for, but another minute passed and he heard nothing.

Then it dawned on him. _Nothing._

"Axel?" he whispered, more nervously.

The man still stared at the door, eyes narrowed. Just then, there was a loud bang as the door swung open. Both boys jumped a mile high, only realizing then that it was Zexion and Demyx, bringing a barking, squirming Sora with them.

"Oh guys! I'm so glad we found you!" The mulleted boy sprang forward and crushed both of them in a hug. "It's so weird! Everybody else on the train seems to have disappeared!"

Axel blinked. "Disappeared? How?"

"We don't know," Zexion said coldly, stepping into the room as he eyed it with the same disgust Rox had. "I think there are other questions we should be focusing on right now. Like who is driving this train?"

"And more importantly, how are we getting off?" Demyx supplied helpfully. "I can't speak for you guys, but me personally, I'm itching to get off this creepy train a.s.a.p.!"

"Here, here," Axel muttered, shrugging out of his friend's hug and leading the group out to the nearest window. Peering out of it he could see more frost on the glass, but beyond that there was an eerie green glow outside the train. Zexion came up beside him first, his eyes widening as the glow seemed to be spreading over the train. Though they could barely see it through the frost, something appeared to be wrong in the first car. There was lots of black smoke billowing from the smoke stack, as well as something else...

"I'm going to go see if anyone's still driving this thing." With a pointed look at each person, he ordered, "Zexion, you stay here and make sure everyone stays together. Demyx," he almost deadpanned, "For God sakes, listen to him when he tells you something. And Rox," with more irritation this time, "Put a leash on that damn dog and don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

He ignored the boy's glare, heading out to the door that led to the outside of the train. From there, he stepped across to the next car and grasped the ladder, taking it all the way up so that he could walk on the roof. From there, he had a good vantage point to see the state of the train, and as he moved along, what he saw shocked him thoroughly. Parts of the train were worn away; several cars looked like they'd been bitten into by something. Other spots looked charred somehow, and the smoke stack at the very front was releasing black smoke, with a slight green tint to it. The whole train appeared to be shaking out of control, and as Axel looked over the side of the train, he found the answer.

"What the hell?"

Little green things were ramming the side. To say they were "things" is to say that Axel had never seen anything like them in his life. They vaguely resembled animals, but the limbs were elongated and gangly, the teeth too sharp to be anything natural. They were proceeding to slam the train and bite into the metal siding at the same time. Axel very nearly lost his balance as he watched them. The green light glowing from them looked almost radioactive.

Suddenly the plan for checking the engine room looked too dangerous. If his suspicions were correct, everyone else on board the train had vanished somehow, meaning the conductors were probably gone. And even as he slowly considered climbing up ahead and possibly stopping the train, a huge gust of flame exploded from the smoke stack, sending some smoke and embers back to him. The man raised a hand to his face, shielding his eyes and nose from the burning particles.

More of the train was being eaten away at as he began backing up, crawling along the roof. As he moved back further, his eyes still fixed on the green demons as they swooped up and ate away at the train, his foot slipped. Axel let out a shout as he began to fall back fast, expecting to get caught and thrown under the train. But his feet met neither snow nor track.

Opening his eyes again, he registered a squeezing pressure in his wrist, and upon looking up, met familiar blue eyes.

"Axel, you clumsy ass!" Rox shouted over the roar of the train. "Hold on!"

The trains whistle sounded loudly, shrill on the air. Axel jolted at the sound, but clung to the boy's arm with his other hand, climbing slowly back up onto the roof. Once safely balanced again, the two sat for a moment, panting from exertion, before Rox spoke.

"You should watch where you're going, idiot! You could have been killed!"

"You...saved me..." Axel's expression changed from confused, to grateful, to mildly irritated very quickly. "I thought I told you to stay with the others!"

"And I thought I told you, stop bossing me around!" the blonde snapped.

Axel sighed. "Touché'." He didn't really feel like fighting right now. There was also the little fact that the boy had just saved his life.

Rox mumbled something then that he couldn't really hear over the noise, but it sounded like, "I still have your coat." Glancing back at the boy, Axel realized that he did. He had barely noticed.

So slowly, carefully, the boys made their decent back down the train, until they reached the ladder of the last car. Axel told Rox everything he had seen, even showed the boy the little green creatures eating away at the metal on the lower part of the train. They weren't moving very fast, but soon they could easily eat through something important. Or just generally eat the train right out from under them.

"So what do we do now, if it's too dangerous to reach the engine?"

"The train cars are connected via these heavy metal hooks and chain links near the bottom on the outsides. Our best hope is probably to unhook this car from the rest of the train and wait till it coasts to a stop."

The blonde looked at him flatly. "Well, I gotta say, this has been a first class ride. Tell me there's more of this in store on this trip, Axel. Please do."

"Hey, it's not my fault that these...whatever they are are messing with the train!" Axel yelled back, exasperated.

"If we live through this, I'd rather let Demyx book the next trip!"

"Oh, shut up!"

The train whistle blew again, and this time they both looked up, bemused. Their eyes widened, though, when they saw a bridge over a deep quarry up in the distance, and the bridge was out.

"Oh my God..."

Axel immediately sprang into action, grabbing the boy's shoulder.

"Looks like we don't have much time. Come on."

He helped them both down onto the space between platforms, but upon closer inspection, the two groaned when they found that the hook holding the cars together looked rusted. Even if they could lift it normal, it was almost impossible now, seeing as the thing was practically welded down. Axel screamed in frustration.

"This'll never work! What the hell do we do now?"

"You're asking me?" The boy paused briefly, gripping the ladder as the train shook hard again. "Wait! I've got an idea! I'll be back!"

"Where are you going?" But the boy didn't answer him. Rox disappeared through the heavy door, and Axel settled for following him, snapping at Demyx and Zexion.

"Guys, give me a hand! Find a crowbar, a hammer! Something!"

Demyx stuttered, beginning to dig through the bags on the right side of the room. "Uh, right! Something!"

Zexion shot Axel a look. "What's going on?"

"No time! The train's about to run off a cliff!" At that, the men scrambled faster. At last, Axel held a hammer in his hand, and he went back out, beating it down against the metal hard.

"Come on! Come on!" No matter how man times he slammed down on it, it didn't break. The cars were still hooked, and at this rate, even if they did get free, there was no way they'd slide to a stop before they reached the end of the bridge. The train whistle blew yet again, to which Axel responded by pounding faster, more frantically.

"Come on, you damn thing! I didn't come here to die!"

"Hey Axel! Think this'll work?" Came a shout from behind him. The next thing he saw was a lit stick of dynamite being shoved in front of his face.

"Oh...Yes!" He grabbed it and shoved it down into the wedge firmly. He then grabbed Rox's arm and dragged him back inside, shouting to the others to scramble for cover. Pulling the blonde behind a wall of packages, he rushed the boy as he called Sora to him, pulling the anxious dog close to his chest. The two boys lowered their heads and prepared for impact.

"Where the hell''d you find that thing?"

"In here. There was a crate marked 'explosives' I saw earlier. It just came to me."

"Huh..." After a pause, "What the hell do they teach kids at orphanages?"

The train then shook violently with the explosion. They heard a scream from Demyx and saw a few flying pieces of luggage, but somehow the wall in front of them managed to stay. Though, now, the train was looking eaten away-at for a completely different reason than before.

Once it was safe, Axel stood slowly. "Is everyone alright?"

"Zexion got hit!"

"How the hell did that happened?"

"Some of the debris got him! He's out cold!" Demyx cried, sounding more and more upset.

Axel groaned. "You'll have to carry him then! Come on! We need to get off this train now!"

Rox held his squirming dog tighter in his arms, trying to soothe him despite the noise from the tracks getting louder. Demyx joined them soon, carrying an unconscious Zexion over his shoulder, and Axel saw a small trace of blood dripping down from underneath his hair.

"Stop blubbering! He'll be fine! But none of us will be if we don't get off of this thing!" He motioned both boys to follow him out the back door. Sure enough, when they stepped outside, they saw that the car was indeed slowing down. Not nearly fast enough, though. The snow was still whipping past them, but it would hopefully be enough cushions to keep the rest of them from getting too battered.

"Well, I think this is our stop," Rox said snarkily, looking strangely calm despite the situation. Axel hooked his arm through the boy's on his left, Demyx's on his right, and then together they jumped, as Demyx let out a shrill, almost girly scream, which was soon muffled when they hit the snow.

Behind them, the train sped on for a few more minutes until it reached the bridge, the green glow around it still eating away even as the engine began to plummet down. It vanished within seconds, and then exploded at the bottom, sending flame and smoke shooting into the air. The ground shook briefly, but then there was no more. The snow kept falling, and the wind kept howling.

* * *

From his lair, Ansem watched with growing fury as the group emerged from the snow, mostly unharmed.

"I hate trains," the redhead snapped. Once he was free, he began to pull Roxas out, as the snow was almost over his head, it was so deep. "Remind me _never _to go on a train again."

"Zexion!" The mulleted boy cried, brushing snow onto the unconscious boy's forehead, then wiping it away with his sleeve. "Is he going to be alright?"

The man watched them bicker and argue for another moment before he swiped at the magic image with a growl, immediately causing it to dissipate.

"That little fool! He managed to escape!"

Riku looked impassively from the side where he leaned against the wall. "Why didn't you send those things to destroy him, instead of just the train?"

"These creatures," the man rumbled, holding up a small one in his open fist, "are what one might call 'gremlins.' They have been enchanted with teeth and may be commanded to attack metal crafts, but they have no interest in people. That is something that even I have not managed to teach them. They were to take out the bridge and meddle with the train only. I had hoped that would be enough."

The silver haired boy shrugged. "I told you to send me. I could do the job real quick. Just a slit of the throat while he's asleep and the boy would be out of your hair."

Ansem scowled. "You have so little faith in my abilities, Riku?"

"Perhaps not, if you did the deed yourself. Your magic has always had side effects, some more detrimental to yourself. Need I remind you of how the revolt left you?"

The old man looked down, for once silenced by the younger man's words.

"I do not need reminding."

"Then perhaps you should listen to me, and gets this job over with before that boy foils you again. This time he may very well kill you."

Ansem scoffed bitterly. "I will kill him before that ever happens. And as for your faith in my spells, I'll show you something. Something crueler, more effective. He will not escape me this time."


	11. 9

With some effort, the group trekked slowly through the snow to the next town. There they found a quiet inn, where they could regroup and recover from the train fiasco. Under Demyx's nervous, yet watchful eye, Zexion was tended to and given a bed. Luckily, no major damage had been done.

Rox knelt by the fire and rubbed the chill from his fingers and toes. Demyx sat on the bed beside Zexion, occasionally fluffing his pillow or adjusting the covers as he felt necessary. Axel had gone into town to find their next mode of transport to Destiny Islands. They would likely be walking to the nearest harbor town, gaining passage across the sea on a cargo ship.

"He better get legal tickets this time." And for a damn good ship. Rox did not want a repeat of yesterday.

"You should have faith in Axel," Demyx said cheerfully. "He'll pull us through, no problem. He always has."

"No problem? That train almost got us killed!"

The older blonde hushed him quickly, eyes darting to their sleeping companion. "Not so loud! I know that part of the trip was kind of a...well, a-"

"Disaster?"

"Yeah...I suppose that's true. But we don't even know what happened there. For all we know, someone planned an attack on the train and assassinated everyone but us!"

Rox shook his head. "Don't you think we would have seen bodies, Demyx? There was no one on that train when we left the baggage car."

The whole incident was so strange. Where had all the people gone? He was sure he saw many get on the train with them. Had they all vanished?

"Oh, yeah..." The other man shrugged, making Rox really want to smack him. Their lives had been in danger, and he was acting like nothing happened! Who was to say this wouldn't happen again?

"No point in wondering about it. I doubt we'll ever know." With that, Demyx got to his feet and headed for the door. "I'm going to go see about getting us some water. Can you help him if he needs it?"

Rox nodded, turning back to the fire as the door shit behind him. His feet were tired and sore and cold from all that walking. Was all of this really worth enduring, just for the slim chance that he would find his family?

"It might not even be my family," he admitted aloud, curling into a ball on the floor and hugging his knees. This could just be a waste of time, and then what?

He was a homeless, worthless orphan then. Now he'd just be homeless, worthless orphan in Destiny Islands.

"At least it will be warmer there."

"Who are you talking to, kid?"

Rox looked up quickly, startled. He half expected Zexion to be up and about, not having heard the door open so quietly. Axel stood just a little behind him, looking down with an obnoxious, cocky grin once more. The boy frowned at him.

"No one. Just thinking out loud." He got up and brushed his pants off, then looking at the redhead seriously. "Do we have a ship?"

"You bet! And better yet, it's got actual rooms for passengers! We won't have to ride with the cargo!"

Rox raised an eyebrow. "A prince traveling with the cargo? That sounds dignified."

"You won't have to suffer the indignity now or ever after, Your Highness." Axel tousled his hair, making him groan and smack the hand away.

"But you did get us legal tickets, right?"

The redhead placed his right hand over his heart with a mocking smile. "On my honor. All we have to do is walk to the next town by Friday. That gives us four days to catch our breath, and for you to start memorizing your lines."

"Lines?" The boy looked incredulous at that.

"Lines, dates, people, places. All the good stuff you need to know to be Roxas."

"What?!"

Several things happened at once. Demyx returned to the room, a large jug of water tucked neatly beneath one arm, just in time to see Zexion sit up in bed, brushing his long bangs from his face for a moment and scowling. Rox stomped forward, tense, angry, eyes burning with a sudden ferocity of betrayal, as Axel stepped back, unsure.

"Are you telling me I have to _prove_ I'm Roxas? Oh no. No no no! You never said I had to do that!"

"Uh, yeah? Did you miss the memo, kid? You can't just walk in there and expect the prince to welcome you with open arms! These things need procedure!"

"You never said I had to do that!" the boy accused, jabbing him harshly with his finger. Groaning with frustration, he turned from him in an instant as he stalked over to the fireplace instead. "Show up, yes. Look nice, sure. Accept a name change and a big brother I don't remember well, fine. But lie?" He looked over his shoulder, blue eyes simmering. "I can't do this. You can't make me do this, you asshole."

"It's a little late for that, don't you think? If you didn't understand the terms and conditions of our little agreement here, that isn't my goddamn fault." The redhead crossed his arms and glared back petulantly.

As all this happened, Demyx had set the jug down, and was now looking between the two of them with great concern. He seemed eager to speak, but couldn't find the room or the words. Zexion kept silent, watching the blonde thoughtfully.

"I won't do it, do you hear me?" Rox spat. When Axel grabbed his arm, opening his mouth to speak, the boy snapped. "No!" He slapped the older boy hard and left the room, slamming the door as he went. The other two looked at him, gaping with varying degrees of surprise and humor.

"What are you looking at?" Demyx looked away, instantly cowed, but Zexion rolled his eyes and lay back in bed, gazing at the ceiling. Axel stomped around for a minute or so, muttering and swearing under his breath all the while.

"Fucking brat can't even play along! The fuck is with this fucking piece of-"

"Axel!"

He paused, shooting Demyx a look that was almost murderous. His partner laughed awkwardly, raising his hands in defense.

"I just thought that...well, maybe you shouldn't be so hard on him, you know?"

"Perhaps you should go after him and talk to him about it," Zexion said simply, his expression blank. "Seems more productive than sitting here fuming about it."

"Fuck off, you ass! What, you're saying I should apologize? To _him?" _The redhead laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right! That brat is stupid and naive and-"

"Your ticket to riches and fame."

Both Demyx and Axel froze. The blonde looked nervous instantly, running to the bed and grasping the smaller man's hand tightly in both of his.

"You know? Y-You...you won't tell him, will you? He would hate us for that!"

Axel said nothing as Zexion looked at him coldly, ignoring Demyx.

"I don't like the kid much, but he is a far better person than either of you two. But no, I won't say anything. It's your mess to do with as you please." Demyx smiled, hugging him with relief until he was pushed away. "I appreciate you saving my life, and for that I'll keep quiet. But be warned that you're stacking a house of cards, and sooner or later, it'll come crashing down on you."

"Gee, thanks," the redhead returned snappishly, as he crossed his arms again and pouted. "Not like we can move on now."

"That's not true!" Demyx said, putting on a cheerful face again. It did not quite reach his eyes, however, and they crinkled a little as he stood and walked to the door. "Let me go and talk to him for a while! I'm sure he'll change his mind!"

His partner watched him go, muttering, "When pigs fly out of my ass."

Zexion turned away, resigned to sleeping until this issue was sorted out.

He tried not to picture a certain blonde's hurt expression as he drifted off.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rox didn't go far. He didn't dare while the snow was falling so heavily, but near the inn he had spotted a little frozen pond with a wooden bridge. It was quiet, secluded; a nice place to just be alone and think. So he trekked through the heavy snow, thankful that he had been bought sturdier boots. The ones he had had before were worn and holey from many years of use, and these were lined with fur on the inside. Now dried, they were warm and comfortable. In his hurry, he'd forgotten to grab his scarf, but oh well. It wasn't very cold just yet.

The boy brushed the snow from the railing and leaned on it, looking out over the water. He was just so angry! How could he go through with this when he was so unsure? He couldn't live with himself if he was lying to someone, especially if that someone knew how it felt to be lost and alone.

Wiping a tear from his cheek, he covered his face and whined.

"How can they expect me to do it?"

He let the tears fall for a few minutes, looking at the pale, frozen surface below and wondering how he could find the strength to go back. He barely noticed the presence behind him, as Demyx walked up and stood beside him, leaning on the railing as well.

Rox was bitterly awaiting the moment when the older blonde would open his big, fat mouth and spew more optimistic bullcrap about trust and friends and all that, but it didn't come. Demyx stayed by his side quietly, not speaking, humming a soft, barely audible tune to himself as he watched a distant flock of bird fly over the pond, heading south. Rox saw him smile awkwardly, seeming both here in the moment and incredibly distant at the same time. He wondered what he was thinking about...

The younger boy was caught off guard for a moment, then settled into the silence appreciatively. He never knew his new companion was capable of subtly...

The time passed away slowly, as Rox was beginning to realize how cold it really was. He shivered a little, but didn't move to walk away. He had no money to get a drink or food anywhere. The only place he could really go was back to the inn, and he wasn't ready to face that loudmouth, egotistical, inconsiderate, degenerate-

"Are you worried about this trip?" Demyx asked quietly.

Rox, distracted from his previous thoughts, eyed the other boy warily.

"I don't think I should trust it. Not Axel, or even you for that matter." He turned to face away from Demyx completely, sulking. "I can't be a prince. There's just no way."

"You haven't even tried to find the truth though. You've been so busy telling yourself that it can't be true."

"But it can't! Look at me, Dem!" He turned back to the older boy, grasping at his worn clothes. "I'm not even remotely prince material here! I'm nothing!"

Demyx said nothing, just looked at him with surprising calm as Rox looked down at the frozen water. He could see just the barest hint of his reflection.

"I look in the mirror and all I see is a worthless, skinny little no body with no past...and no future. I don't think I belong anywhere, but I'm definitely royalty."

The other boy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, drawing his gaze briefly.

"You know what I see?" He looked down at the tiny reflection, and Rox hesitantly followed suit. "I see a smart, witty, capable young man, who, on a number of occasions, has demonstrated command and authority equal to any royal worth his salt in this world."

The younger blonde looked up at him, surprised and unsure, and Demyx laughed. "If you aren't royalty, kid, you're certainly something. You'll find your way, no problem."

"How can you be so confident? You barely know me..."

"True. Can't argue there. But here's the thing, Rox: my father was a member of the imperial court. I've seen my share of royalty in the limited time I've been around, and I think you can do it." He cupped the other boy's chin and lifted it so that he would meet his eyes. "I'm serious. And hey, if it doesn't work out, no problem, right? You're family must be somewhere in Destiny Islands. If you aren't a Strife, I will stick with you and personally see that we find the right people."

Rox was speechless. He felt touched by Demyx's kindness, and a bit guilty that he'd thought so little of him before. Sure, he could be boisterous and annoying, but he seemed to mean well and really care for his friends. Rox stepped closer and hugged him, feeling a few happy tears slip from his eyes.

"Thank you."

Demyx smiled back, more earnestly now. He spied a flash of red over his shoulder and smiled wider.

"No worries. Besides, there's nothing left for you back there. Everything and beyond waits in Destiny Islands."

Rox nodded, wiping his eyes and gathering himself for this task. He had to believe he was Roxas, had to have faith in himself and who he was. It was hard, but he would do it. Somehow, he could learn to do it.

They broke apart as Axel stepped onto the bridge, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He looked to be here begrudgingly, and Rox was far from happy with him at the moment, but the blonde decided to let him speak.

"Ready to be a royal, kid? Can we move on now, or are you going to throw another tantrum?"

Demyx winced as Roxas stepped between them, glaring defiantly at the redhead.

"Listen, you asshole. I'll get my lines memorized, fine, but you have to stop being such a jerk to me. Take this seriously, prove that you aren't just messing around, and I'll buckle down and learn whatever it is a big idiot like you has to teach me."

Slowly, the boy's face grew into that familiar, aggravating smirk.

"Sounds fair, Rox. Let the lessons begin..."

* * *

Sorry it's been a while since I've updated this story. Writer's block, final exams, papers, and all sorts of stuff be happening. Oh well. I'll try to get this back up and running again so that I update more frequently. Thanks to all of you that reviewed, favorited, watched, etc. You help me get back on track.

Merry Christmas 2012! :)


End file.
